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Piano chord

B♭dim7B flat diminished seventh

  • B♭1
  • D♭♭3
  • F♭♭5
  • A𝄫𝄫7
Notes
4
Positions
4
Span
9semitones
Fingers
1-2-3-5

How to play B♭dim7 on piano

  1. Find B♭: it is the root and the lowest note of the chord in root position.
  2. Right hand: 1 on B♭, 2 on D♭, 3 on F♭, 5 on A𝄫.
  3. Or with the left hand: 5 on B♭, 3 on D♭, 2 on F♭, 1 on A𝄫.
  4. Press the keys together, with curved fingers and a loose wrist, and let them ring.
  1. B♭dim7 on piano, Root position: B♭ D♭ F♭ A𝄫B♭, D♭, F♭, A𝄫F♭A𝄫B♭D♭3512
    B♭dim7 on piano, Root position: B♭ D♭ F♭ A𝄫B♭, D♭, F♭, A𝄫F♭A𝄫B♭D♭2153

    Root position · B♭ – D♭ – F♭ – A𝄫

  2. B♭dim7 on piano, 1st inversion: D♭ F♭ A𝄫 B♭D♭, F♭, A𝄫, B♭F♭A𝄫D♭B♭2315
    B♭dim7 on piano, 1st inversion: D♭ F♭ A𝄫 B♭D♭, F♭, A𝄫, B♭F♭A𝄫D♭B♭3251

    1st inversion · D♭ – F♭ – A𝄫 – B♭

  3. B♭dim7 on piano, 2nd inversion: F♭ A𝄫 B♭ D♭F♭, A𝄫, B♭, D♭F♭A𝄫B♭D♭1235
    B♭dim7 on piano, 2nd inversion: F♭ A𝄫 B♭ D♭F♭, A𝄫, B♭, D♭F♭A𝄫B♭D♭5321

    2nd inversion · F♭ – A𝄫 – B♭ – D♭

  4. B♭dim7 on piano, 3rd inversion: A𝄫 B♭ D♭ F♭A𝄫, B♭, D♭, F♭A𝄫F♭B♭D♭1523
    B♭dim7 on piano, 3rd inversion: A𝄫 B♭ D♭ F♭A𝄫, B♭, D♭, F♭A𝄫F♭B♭D♭5132

    3rd inversion · A𝄫 – B♭ – D♭ – F♭

Numbers on the keys are fingers: 1 thumb, 2 index, 3 middle, 4 ring, 5 little finger.

B♭dim7 inversions

Use these 4 positions to move between chords with as little hand movement as possible. Root position starts on B♭; the inversions start on the other notes of the chord.

Chords that go with B♭dim7

The other chords of B minor, the key where B♭dim7 is home (vii°7). Songs in this key move between them.

B♭dim7 with two hands

A full sound: the left hand plays B♭ an octave lower, the right hand plays B♭–D♭–F♭–A𝄫.

B♭dim7 with two handsB♭, B♭, D♭, F♭, A𝄫F♭A𝄫B♭B♭D♭35512

B♭dim7 on other instruments

About the B♭dim7 chord

To build B flat diminished seventh, take these 4 notes from the root up: B♭ (1), D♭ (♭3), F♭ (♭5), A𝄫 (𝄫7). A diminished seventh: three minor thirds stacked. Every note is three semitones from the next, so the same keys name four different chords.

On the keyboard, start from B♭ and add the other notes above it: B♭ – D♭ – F♭ – A𝄫. From the lowest to the highest key that is 9 semitones. That is less than an octave, so B♭dim7 sits comfortably under one hand.

Each inversion of B♭dim7 puts a different note in the bass. In the 1st inversion the bass is D♭ (D♭–F♭–A𝄫–B♭). In the 2nd inversion the bass is F♭ (F♭–A𝄫–B♭–D♭). In the 3rd inversion the bass is A𝄫 (A𝄫–B♭–D♭–F♭).

Compared with B♭dim, B♭dim7 has one more note, A𝄫.

Keys that contain B♭dim7: B minor (vii°7).

Questions

What notes are in the B♭dim7 chord?

B♭dim7 (B flat diminished seventh) has 4 notes: B♭ (1), D♭ (♭3), F♭ (♭5), A𝄫 (𝄫7).

How many inversions does B♭dim7 have?

B♭dim7 can be played in 4 positions: Root position (B♭–D♭–F♭–A𝄫); 1st inversion (D♭–F♭–A𝄫–B♭); 2nd inversion (F♭–A𝄫–B♭–D♭); 3rd inversion (A𝄫–B♭–D♭–F♭).

What is the difference between B♭dim7 and B♭dim?

Compared with B♭dim, B♭dim7 has one more note, A𝄫.

Can I play B♭dim7 with one hand?

Yes. In root position B♭dim7 spans 9 semitones, less than an octave, so one hand holds it easily.

More B♭ chords