Bb major piano chord, notes and fingering.

The Bb major piano chord is made of three notes: Bb, D and F. Press them together and you are playing Bb major. It is a root (Bb), a major third (D, four semitones above the root) and a perfect fifth (F, seven semitones above). On a chord chart it is written simply as Bb, with no letters after it.

How to play Bb major on piano

1. Find Bb on the keyboard. Bb is the third black key of the group of three, just before B. It is the same key as A#.
2. With your right hand, put finger 1 on Bb, finger 3 on D and finger 5 on F. Finger 1 is the thumb.
3. Press all three keys together. In root position they run from Bb3 to F4, a reach of 7 semitones. Play chord sounds them together and Arpeggio sounds them one by one, from the bottom up.
4. Click Left hand to see the left hand. It plays Bb2 to F3, one octave lower: Bb with finger 5, D with finger 3, F with finger 1.
5. The cards under the keyboard hold the three positions, with Bb, D and F at the bottom in turn. Play and Arpeggio on a card play that position.
6. Open Note names. As written the keys read Bb, D and F. Sharps shows A#, D and F, and Flats shows Bb, D and F. This chord is written with flats, so As written and Flats match.

How Bb major is built

Counted from the root, the formula is 0, 4, 7. Stacked on each other the gaps are 4 + 3: a major third (Bb to D) with a minor third (D to F) on top. Lower the middle note by one semitone, D to Db, and the chord turns into Bb minor.

Worked example: the pitch of Bb3. On a piano tuned to A4 = 440 Hz, a note 11 semitones below A4 has the frequency 440 × 2^(-11/12), which is about 233.08 Hz. D4 is 7 semitones below A4, so 440 × 2^(-7/12) gives about 293.66 Hz.

Bb major and A# major are the same chord on the keyboard: the same three keys sound for both. Written as A# major it would need a double accidental (A#, C## and E#), so Bb is the name that sheet music uses. The key of Bb major has 2 flats, while the key of A# major would need double accidentals.

What the keys look like under your hand

The white keys beside Bb are A on the left and B on the right, a semitone each way. One of the three notes is a black key (Bb) and two are white keys (D and F). Your thumb lands on Bb, a black key with A and B beside it. Keep the thumb relaxed and slightly curved, and let the wrist stay level instead of twisting to reach.

Bb major inversions and fingering

Bb major has three positions. In root position Bb is at the bottom. In the first inversion, D is at the bottom and the chord is written Bb/D. In the second inversion, F is at the bottom and the chord is written Bb/F. The tightest reach, 7 semitones from the lowest key to the highest, is the root position. The widest, at 9, is the second inversion.

The keys that hold Bb major

Bb major fits six of the major and natural minor keys that have a standard key signature, which means every note of it comes from that key's scale. The simplest is F major, with 1 flat, where it is chord IV.

Progressions that use Bb major, with the chord numbers and the chords in that key:

• F major: I-IV-V-I, which is F, Bb, C, F, the three-chord cadence of folk, rock and blues.
• D minor: i-VI-III-VII, which is Dm, Bb, F, C, a common minor-key loop.
• Bb major: I-V-vi-IV, which is Bb, F, Gm, Eb, the four-chord loop heard in a great deal of pop.

Here is a worked example in F major. The chord before Bb major in the first progression above is F (F, A and C). From F in root position, the closest way to reach Bb major is its second inversion (F, Bb and D, lowest note first): one note stays where it is, and the others move 3 semitones in total, counting each note against the note in the same place from the bottom.

What Bb major sounds like

Major chords sound bright and settled, which is why songs so often end on one. In a major key the major chords are I, IV and V, and those three alone can carry a great many songs. A major triad is also the first chord most pianists learn.

You will meet Bb major as the IV chord in F major, the VI chord in D minor and the I chord in Bb major. It is also the V chord in Eb minor, where the raised seventh of the harmonic minor scale makes the chord major.

A common mistake with Bb major

A common mistake is pressing Db instead of D, one semitone lower than the third of Bb major. That turns the chord into Bbm (Bb, Db and F). If your Bb chord sounds sad, check the middle finger first.

Chords to learn next

Chords close to Bb major: Bb minor (same root, with a minor third; shares Bb and F); Bb7 (adds a flat seventh; contains all its notes); Bbmaj7 (adds a major seventh; contains all its notes); G minor (its relative minor; shares Bb and D).

Once Bb major feels easy, play it and then Bbm to hear what one note changes. For chords beyond these six types, and for guitar and ukulele shapes, use the chord finder. To play along with your computer keys, open the virtual piano. The piano chords page lists all 72 chords.