Mandolin · key of B♭ minor

Chords in the key of B♭ minor

The seven chords in the key of B♭ minor are B♭m, Cdim, D♭, E♭m, Fm, G♭ and A♭. D♭, G♭ and A♭ are the major chords (III, VI and VII), B♭m, E♭m and Fm are the minor chords (i, iv and v), and Cdim is diminished (ii°). Its relative major is D♭ major, which uses the same seven chords. The same key is sometimes written A♯ minor.

Key

Scale

The chords of B♭ minor
Numeral	Triad	Notes	Seventh chord	Notes	Number	Role
i	B♭mhome	B♭ D♭ F	B♭m7home	B♭ D♭ F A♭	1m	tonic
ii°	Cdimthe edge	C E♭ G♭	Cm7♭5the edge	C E♭ G♭ B♭	2°	supertonic
III	D♭daylight	D♭ F A♭	D♭maj7daylight	D♭ F A♭ C	3	mediant
iv	E♭msoft fall	E♭ G♭ B♭	E♭m7soft fall	E♭ G♭ B♭ D♭	4m	subdominant
v	Fmsoft fall	F A♭ C	Fm7soft fall	F A♭ C E♭	5m	dominant
VI	G♭cinematic	G♭ B♭ D♭	G♭maj7cinematic	G♭ B♭ D♭ F	6	submediant
VII	A♭heroic	A♭ C E♭	A♭7heroic	A♭ C E♭ G♭	7	subtonic
V	Fthe pull	F A C	F7the pull	F A C E♭	5	often used in place of Fm

Sound

Strum or arpeggiate any chord, tap a note to hear it, drag the strip under a picture to play it further up the neck, or pick another inversion. Library opens the chord there, with every other way to play it.

B♭m

LibraryMandolin · Standard

i · tonic

Cdim

LibraryMandolin · Standard

ii° · supertonic

D♭

LibraryMandolin · Standard

III · mediant

E♭m

LibraryMandolin · Standard

iv · subdominant

Fm

LibraryMandolin · Standard

v · dominant

G♭

LibraryMandolin · Standard

VI · submediant

A♭

LibraryMandolin · Standard

VII · subtonic

Chord progressions in B♭ minor

Press a chord to hear it and see its shape, or Play to hear the progression on mandolin. The colours say what each chord does in the key.

Sound Pattern Tempo85

↓ · ↓ ↑ · ↑ ↓ ↑ · Down, down-up, up-down-up: the campfire strum, also called the calypso strum.

Colours

home, minorthe pullthe edgeheroiccinematicsoft falldaylight

What each chord does in its key. Press a chord to hear it and read more.

The minor key’s three chords

i | iv | v | i

Key Chord chart

i–iv–v–i, the minor key’s own three chords.

The epic minor progression

i | VI | III | VII

Key Chord chart

i–VI–III–VII, the sound of film scores and rock anthems.

The Andalusian cadence

i | VII | VI | V

Key Chord chart

Stepping down to a major fifth chord, heard in flamenco and in many rock songs.

To the relative major

i | iv | VII | III

Key Chord chart

i–iv–VII–III, a minor progression that lands on the relative major.

Climbing back home

i | VI | VII | i

Key Chord chart

i–VI–VII–i, common in rock and metal.

The minor ii–V–i

iiø7 | V7 | i7 | i7

Key Chord chart

The minor turnaround of jazz, in seventh chords.

The major fifth chord

In a minor key the fifth chord is often played major, F or F7 in place of Fm. Its third is the leading note of the harmonic minor scale, a half step below B♭, and it pulls back to B♭m more strongly.

The relative major: D♭ major

D♭ major has the same notes and the same seven chords as B♭ minor, starting from D♭. A song in one often moves to the other. The parallel major, B♭ major, starts on the same note with a different set of chords.

Play it with a capo

B♭ minor takes barre chords on mandolin. A capo lets you play it with the open shapes of an easier key:

Capo 1, the shapes of A minor: Am, Bdim, C, Dm, Em, F and G
Capo 6, the shapes of E minor: Em, F♯dim, G, Am, Bm, C and D

The B♭ minor scale and key signature

The notes of B♭ minor are B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭. Its key signature has five flats: B♭, D♭, E♭, G♭ and A♭. Each chord of the key is built from these notes, a third apart: a chord on every note of the scale. See the B♭ minor scale on the mandolin neck, and the B♭ minor pentatonic.

Keys nearby

On the circle of fifths, F minor and E♭ minor sit on either side of B♭ minor. Each shares six of its seven notes, which makes them the easiest keys to change to.

Every key

C D♭D E♭E F F♯G A♭A B♭B

C minor C♯ minor D minor E♭ minor E minor F minor F♯ minor G minor G♯ minor A minor B♭ minor B minor

All twenty-four on one page: chords in every key. To print these chords, open them as a chord chart, or make your own in the chord chart maker. This key on guitar, bass, ukulele and banjo.