The Key of B Minor for Guitar
The key of B minor has the notes B C♯ D E F♯ G A, 2 sharps (F♯ C♯), and its relative major is D major.
- Chords
- Bm C♯dim D Em F♯m G A
- Main three
- Bm Em F♯m
- Key signature of B minor
- 2 sharps (F♯ C♯)
Chords in the key
Chords in B minor · moved from B minor · · tap to hear1 home chord of the key
35 on the 3rd and 5th
2 other degrees
Now sounding
Key · Capo
Showing: B minor (page key)No capo: you play B minor shapes as written.
Fretboard · B minor scale
Tap a dot to hear it; it lights amber while it sounds. Brightest dot = 1, the root (B). Lighter grey = 3 and 5. High e on top, frets 0 to 12, no capo. Swipe the board sideways for frets 7 to 12.
Progression · i–VI–III–VII
Stopped. Four beats per chord, strum D D U D.
Chords in B minor, with notes
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | B D F♯ |
| ii° | C♯dim | C♯ E G |
| III | D | D F♯ A |
| iv | Em | E G B |
| v | F♯m | F♯ A C♯ |
| VI | G | G B D |
| VII | A | A C♯ E |
Seventh chords in B minor
Add the next scale note a third above each triad and you get the four-note seventh chords of the key.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i7 | Bm7 | B D F♯ A |
| iiø7 | C♯m7♭5 | C♯ E G B |
| IIImaj7 | Dmaj7 | D F♯ A C♯ |
| iv7 | Em7 | E G B D |
| v7 | F♯m7 | F♯ A C♯ E |
| VImaj7 | Gmaj7 | G B D F♯ |
| VII7 | A7 | A C♯ E G |
Shapes for the 7th chords of B minor: Em7 chord.
Shapes and voicings for every chord: chord directory.
Why B minor has 2 sharps (F♯ C♯)
Every minor scale uses the same step pattern: whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole. Start that pattern on B and the notes land on B C♯ D E F♯ G A, so the key needs F♯ and C♯. On one string a whole step is two frets and a half step is one fret, up to the octave at fret 12.
B minor scale in first position
Every note of B minor in frets 0 to 4. Play one finger per fret: fret 1 = finger 1, fret 2 = finger 2, fret 3 = finger 3, fret 4 = finger 4, open strings need no finger. Start on the lowest root, B on the 5th string, fret 2, and play up string by string.
Tap a dot to hear it. High e on top; the brightest dot is the root.
Past fret 4: B minor scale in every position up the neck, with play-along and a root drone. Pentatonic, blues and the modes work over these chords too: see all guitar scales.
Playing in B minor on guitar
B minor is a high-volume key for guitarists for one reason: the Bm chord. The key itself sits well, with two sharps (F♯ and C♯), all six open strings in the scale, and four open chords (D, Em, G, A). Bm and F♯m are the barre chords.
Start with the four-string Bm (x x 4 4 3 2): index on the high e string at fret 2, middle on B at fret 3, ring and pinky on fret 4. Bm7 (x 2 0 2 0 2) is easier still and suits folk and pop. The full Am-shape barre at fret 2 comes after. C♯dim is rare in songs.
The chord row shows F♯m as the v chord, but songs in B minor often use F♯ major or F♯7 to lead home; its A♯ comes from the harmonic minor scale. The open F♯7 (x x 4 3 2 0) avoids the barre. With capo 2, all of this turns into A minor shapes: Am, Dm, Em or E, F, C and G.
Common progressions in B minor
| Degrees | Chords | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| i–VI–III–VII | Bm G D A | Bm G D A: one barre chord and three open ones; with capo 2 it becomes Am F C G. |
| i–iv–v–i | Bm Em F♯m Bm | Bm Em F♯m Bm: two barres. Many songs play F♯ or F♯7 (x x 4 3 2 0) instead of F♯m for a stronger cadence. |
| i–VII–VI–VII | Bm A G A | Bm A G A: the bass walks B, A, G, with open A and G after the Bm. |
| i–iv–VII–III | Bm Em A D | Bm Em A D: a circle-of-fifths run that resolves on open D, the relative major. |
Pick one in the player above and press Play to strum along, four beats per chord.
Capo and B minor
Capo 2 with Am shapes is the easy way to play in B minor: Bm becomes Am and every barre disappears. Capo 7 with Em shapes sounds in B minor too, high up for a second guitar.
| Capo | Bm shapes sound in |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | C minor |
| Fret 2 | C♯ minor |
| Fret 3 | D minor |
| Fret 4 | E♭ minor |
| Fret 5 | E minor |
| Fret 6 | F minor |
| Fret 7 | F♯ minor |
Song in another key? Capo for B minor songs: the capo fret and easier shapes, or any other key.
New to the capo? How to use a capo: where to clamp it and why the same shapes sound in a new key.
Relative major: D major
D major uses the same seven notes, starting on D, the 3rd note of the scale. Its chord is the III in the row above. Songs often move between the two keys without changing a single chord shape.
Songs in B minor
- Hotel California · Eagles
Recorded in B minor. Capo 2 with Am shapes sounds in the same key as the record.
Have a recording and no idea what key it is in? Find the key of a song from the audio file or by letting it listen; it also gives the chords to play and the easiest capo.
Related keys
- The key of D majorrelative
- The key of B majorparallel
- The key of E minorcircle, one step left
- The key of F♯ minorcircle, one step right
See how every key connects: interactive circle of fifths.
FAQ about B minor
What chords are in the key of B minor?
Bm, C♯dim, D, Em, F♯m, G and A. D, Em, G and A are open; Bm and F♯m are barre chords.
What is the easiest way to play Bm?
The four-string Bm (x x 4 4 3 2) needs no full barre, and Bm7 (x 2 0 2 0 2) uses open strings. Or put a capo on fret 2 and play Am.
How many sharps are in B minor?
Two, F♯ and C♯, the same signature as D major. The scale is B C♯ D E F♯ G A.
What is the relative major of B minor?
D major. The chords are the same; songs in B minor resolve to Bm, songs in D major to D.
Next steps in B minor
- Progressions in B minorgenerate, hear and loop chord progressions in this key
- B minor pentatonicthe five-note soloing scale
- B harmonic minorraised 7th: where the major V chord comes from
- Drop B (BF♯BEG♯C♯)low B root on string 6
- Guitar tunertune up before you play along