B flat diminished (Bb°) chord on guitar

Notes: B♭D♭F♭
Formula: 1♭3♭5

How to play Bb° on guitar

Shape 1 · 1st position
Shape 2 · fret 5
Shape 3 · fret 8
Shape 4 · fret 2

Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky. x = do not play the string, o = open string. The coloured dot is the root (B flat). The same shapes work on acoustic, classical and electric guitar.

Bb° inversions on guitar

The same Bb° with another chord note in the bass (the lowest note that sounds). The notes stay the same, but the colour changes, and the bass line can move by step from one chord to the next. In a chord symbol, the bass comes after the slash.

3rd (D♭) in the bass1st inversion · Bb°/Db
3rd (D♭) in the bass1st inversion · Bb°/Db
5th (F♭) in the bass2nd inversion · Bb°/Fb
5th (F♭) in the bass2nd inversion · Bb°/Fb

About the diminished chord

Three notes stacked in minor thirds: a suspenseful sound with no place to rest. In popular music it almost always works as a passing chord between two neighbours (C → C♯° → Dm), and in practice it is often swapped for the diminished seventh, which sounds fuller.

Notes and intervals of Bb°

Bb° (B flat diminished) is built from 3 notes. Each one fills a degree of the chord:

B♭ · 1 · root
D♭ · ♭3 · minor third
F♭ · ♭5 · diminished fifth

Other B flat chords

Diminished: other roots

Frequently asked questions

How do you play the Bb° chord on guitar?

Bb° (B flat diminished) has 4 fingerings on this page, from easiest to hardest. Each diagram shows the fingers, the open strings (o) and the strings you do not play (x), and you can hear every shape.

What notes are in Bb°?

The notes of Bb° are B♭, D♭, F♭. The formula is 1 · ♭3 · ♭5: root, minor third, diminished fifth.

What does Bb° mean?

Bb° is the chord symbol for B flat diminished. Three notes stacked in minor thirds: a suspenseful sound with no place to rest. In popular music it almost always works as a passing chord between two neighbours (C → C♯° → Dm), and in practice it is often swapped for the diminished seventh, which sounds fuller.

Can I play Bb° on other instruments?

Yes. Bb° also has a page on ukulele, on cavaquinho, with the fingerings for each instrument.

Bb° on other instruments

All guitar chords