Piano chord
B diminished chord
Bdim is a diminished triad: the root B, a minor 3rd up to D and a diminished 5th up to F.
- Symbol
- Bdim
- Notes
- B – D – F
Play it yourself
Tap B, D and F on the keys below, in any order.
- B
- D
- F
Diminished chords sound tense and unstable, as if they want to move on. In a major key the diminished chord is the one built on the seventh note, and it usually leads back home.
Inversions of Bdim
An inversion keeps the same notes but puts a different one at the bottom. Pianists use them to move between chords with less jumping.
- Root position
B – D – F
- 1st inversion · Bdim/D
D – F – B
- 2nd inversion · Bdim/F
F – B – D
Keys with Bdim
Bdim occurs naturally in these keys. The Roman numeral shows which step of the scale it is built on.