Bdim piano chord — the keys, the inversions, the theory

Bdim is a diminished chord built from B, D, F. Below: the keys to press, every inversion with its own diagram, the intervals it is made of, the keys whose scale contains it, and a progression that actually uses it. Press any diagram to hear it.

Bdim

B · D · F

Piano keyboardC4C5

Semitones above the root: 0 – 3 – 6

Two minor thirds stacked. Nothing sits still here; it is a chord that leads somewhere.

Inversions of Bdim

  • Root position

    B · D · F · bass B

  • Inversion 1

    D · F · B · bass D

  • Inversion 2

    F · B · D · bass F

Same chord, different note at the bottom. Press a diagram to hear it — inversions are how you move between chords without jumping your hand across the keyboard.

Keys that contain Bdim

  • Cvii°

In C it does this job: IV – vii° – I

  1. F
  2. Bdim
  3. C

Questions