The B flat diminished chord (Bb dim or Bb°) contains the notes Bb, Db and Fb. It is produced by taking the 1st, flat 3rd and flat 5th notes of the B flat Major scale.
A diminished often appears as Bb dim or Bb°.
The diminished chord played by itself has a dissonant sound. This is largely due to the existence of the tritone interval, which is otherwise known as the devil’s interval. The Bb diminished chord contains a tritone between the notes Bb and Fb.
Even though the B flat diminished chord sounds dissonant on its own, it can sound beautiful when played in the right context. Pairing the B flat diminished chord with the B Major chord, for example, creates a sense of tension and release, which works well. A good exercise is to switch between the Bb diminished chord and the B Major chord and hear for yourself how this sounds
10 Ways To Play The B Flat Diminished Chord
If you’ve come to this page just to view some chord diagrams for Bb diminished, here they are.
Some Quick Bb Diminished Chord Theory
- The B flat diminished chord contains the notes Bb, Db and Fb.
- The Bb diminished chord is produced by taking the 1 (root), b3 and b5 of the Bb Major scale.
- The B flat diminished chord (just like all diminished chords) contains the following intervals (starting from the root note): minor 3rd, minor 3rd, tritone (which leads back to the root note).
- Bb diminished resolves naturally to the B chord.
- Bb diminished can be written as Bb dim or Bb°.
- The Bb locrian scale can be used when soloing over the Bb diminished chord.
Further Reading
