B♭ 5-string bass chord

How to play B♭ on 5-string bass

The most common way, the first shape above: your index finger on the E string at the 6th fret, your ring finger on the A string at the 8th fret, your little finger on the D string at the 8th fret and your middle finger on the G string at the 7th fret. Don’t play the B string.

From the B string x 6 8 8 7 (x: not played, 0: open)

What notes are in B♭?

B♭, B♭ major, is B♭, D and F: the root (B♭), the major third (D) and the perfect fifth (F). Its formula is 1 3 5.

What is the difference between B♭ and B♭m?

One note. B♭ has the major third, D; B♭m lowers it a half step to D♭. That one note turns the bright sound of a major chord into the darker sound of a minor one.

Can I play B♭5 instead?

B♭5, the power chord, is B♭ and F with no third, so it is neither major nor minor. It stands in for B♭ in rock, especially with distortion, where a full chord can sound muddy.

Keys with B♭

B♭ is the V chord in E♭ major, the IV chord in F major, the I chord in B♭ major, the VII chord in C minor, the VI chord in D minor and the III chord in G minor, and the V of E♭ minor, the major fifth chord from its harmonic minor scale.