B Diminished Chord on Guitar
Bdim B D F 2 shapes Barre chord
Chord diagrams
How to play B Diminished on guitar
The B Diminished chord (Bdim) is made of B, D, F - 1 b3 b5. On a guitar in standard tuning the easiest way to play it is the A-shape shape at fret 2 (x2343x). Below are 2 shapes in all, from the lowest on the neck to the highest; the same chord sounds brighter the higher you play it.
E-shape barre, fret 7 7897xx
Strings from the low E (left) to the high E (right). Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little. x = do not play the string, o = open string, a bar = one finger across several strings.
Notes
What notes are in B Diminished?
The B Diminished chord has 3 different notes: B, D, F. Two minor thirds stacked; the diminished fifth (6 half steps above B) gives it its tension. A guitar chord rarely has as many strings as notes, so shapes double some of them: every shape here leaves at least one string unplayed - watch the x marks. Mute the strings marked x with the side of a fretting finger, so that only the chord rings.
| Note | Interval from the root | Half steps |
|---|---|---|
| B | Root | 0 |
| D | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| F | Diminished 5th | 6 |
Questions
Frequently asked
How do you play Bdim on guitar?
The A-shape shape x2343x: A string fret 2 (finger 1), D string fret 3 (finger 2), G string fret 4 (finger 4), B string fret 3 (finger 3); do not play low E and high E.
What notes are in the B Diminished chord?
The B Diminished chord (Bdim) is made of B, D, F. Its formula is 1 b3 b5. On the guitar, some of those notes are played twice on different strings.
Can I play Bdim without a barre?
There is no common open shape for Bdim in standard tuning, so it is played as a movable shape: a-shape, fret 2 (x2343x) is the lowest on the neck. If a full barre is hard at first, play only the four highest strings of that shape - the root and the third are still there.
Keep playing
Strum Bdim, then build a song around it
The guitar on this page is free, with no account. GOONS Studio adds the rest of the band in the browser - a sampled piano with chord pads, drum machines, a bass synth and a sequencer - with a 7-day free trial, no card required.