Six String Acoustic

  • Acoustic Guitar Reviews
  • Buying Guides
    • Choosing a Guitar
    • Choosing Strings
    • Acoustic Amplification
    • Choosing Guitar Accessories
  • Tuning, Care etc
    • Tuning
    • Restringing
    • Care and Maintenance
    • Setup
  • Tips/Lessons
    • Basic Techniques
    • Chords
    • Scales
    • Rhythm
    • Theory
    • Reading Music and Tab
    • Other Lessons and Tips
  • Online Lessons Reviews

You are here: Home » How to Play the B Diminished Chord on Guitar?

How to Play the B Diminished Chord on Guitar?

Last updated: December 23, 2021 by Nate Leave a Comment

If you’re like many guitarists, you want to learn to play as many chord types as possible. Today, we’ll be looking at the dark and mysterious B diminished chord, a chord that can add incredible tension to any guitar or piano piece.

Contents hide
1 What Is a Diminished Chord?
2 What’s the B Diminished Chord?
3 How to Play the B Diminished Chord
3.1 Version 1
3.2 Version 2
4 Keep Discovering the Fretboard!
5 FAQ on B Diminished Chord

What Is a Diminished Chord?

If you’ve ever heard a diminished chord played by itself, you might wonder why (or how!) anyone could ever work this chord type into a piece of music. After all, a diminished chord (or diminished triad) sounds scary, dark, and even sour.

However, when used in the right context, diminished chords can add the perfect amount of tension to a song. This audio demonstration lets you hear more than one example of a diminished chord.

The diminished chord type we’ll be looking at today is a diminished triad. This chord type is notated with a degree sign or with a “dim.” So a B diminished chord is often written as B dim.

A diminished triad includes a root note, a minor third (a note that is three semitones/half-steps higher than the root note), and a diminished fifth (a note that is six half-steps above the root note).

A diminished fifth is also called a “flattened fifth,” as it is a perfect fifth lowered by a half-step (or one semitone). Likewise, a “minor third” is a third lowered by a half-step.

The diminished triad, much like a major triad, can be a building block for other guitar chords. Diminished triads can be used to build both diminished seventh and half-diminished chords.

What’s the B Diminished Chord?

Now that you know the relevant theory behind the diminished chord, we’ll take a closer look at B diminished.

To get the three note names in our B dim chord, we first need the B major scale. Here it is:

B – C# – D# – E – F# – G# – A# – B

The B diminished chord of course starts with B, our root note. Root notes are always the first notes in their respective scales.

Next, we will need the next note: a minor third. Our third (the third degree on the B major scale) is D#.

If you already know some of the theory behind other guitar chords, you may remember that a minor third is a third scale degree lowered by a half step. So our minor third is D.

The last note we need for a B diminished chord is a diminished fifth. The fifth note on the scale is F#. To get a diminished fifth, we lower it by a half step to get F.

To recap, the B diminished chord contains three notes: B, D, and F.

How to Play the B Diminished Chord

There are two main ways to play B diminished (you can view the chord diagrams here). Here are both B dim variations, along with the suggested finger positions:

Version 1

This is the easier of the two B dim positions. But since the suggested finger positions are on the first three strings, you may find that it doesn’t sound heavy enough for your purposes. Here are the fingerings and note names you need:

  • Place your index finger on the first string at the first fret (F).
  • Place your ring finger on the second string at the third fret (D).
  • Place your pinky finger on the third string at the fourth fret (B).
  • Mute or skip the fourth, fifth, and sixth strings.

Version 2

This version might give you a fuller sound. However, as one of the chord positions requiring you to mute both the high E and low E strings, it can pose a bit of a challenge. Here are the suggested finger positions:

  • Place your index finger on the fifth string at the second fret (B).
  • Place your middle finger on the fourth string at the third fret (F).
  • Place your ring finger on the second string at the third fret (D).
  • Place your pinky on the third string at the fourth fret (B).

Keep Discovering the Fretboard!

The B dim chord and other diminished chords don’t show up in every song. But if you’re serious about guitar, learning to play diminished chords and other unusual chord types and voicings can make you stand out from the rest!

FAQ on B Diminished Chord

Still have some questions on B diminished and other diminished guitar chords? Here are some answers:

What key is B diminished?

You probably already know that each key includes multiple major and minor chords. But did you know that every musical key only includes one diminished chord? The chord B diminished is part of the key of C.

What does B diminished mean?

As long as you know your root notes for each chord, you will be able to form diminished chords. You need a root note, a minor third, and a diminished fifth. So a B diminished chord (also written as B dim) includes B, D, and F.

Filed Under: Chords, Guitar lessons

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Acoustic Guitar Reviews

  • ~ By Price Range
  • ~ By Series
  • ~ By Brand
  • ~ Top 5s
  • ~ By Top Wood
  • ~ By Back & Sides Wood
  • ~ By Shape/Size
  • ~ All

Recent Posts

  • Gibson Guitar Values: How much is an old Gibson worth?
  • How Many Strings Are On a Bass Guitar? [Answered]
  • Are Zager Guitars Any Good? The Truth Will Surprise You
  • How Much Is an Electric Guitar [2023 Price Guide]
  • 5 Ways to Play the E chord on Guitar
  • Taylor 214ce Review: Acoustics Under $1500 Reviews
  • 5 Ways to Play the B chord on Guitar

Categories

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

GDMDMHDS112727425

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

sixstringacoustic.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc or its affiliates.

Copyright © 2015 - 2023 - SixStringAcoustic.com - Privacy Policy