Bb Diminished 7th Piano Chord
The Notes in a Bb Diminished 7th Chord
The Root
The root of the chord is always the easiest to find because it's in the name of the chord! The root of a Bb Diminished 7th chord is Bb.
The Min 3rd
The minor third of a Bb Diminished 7th chord is Db. The minor third is up three half-steps from the Root.
Finding Db from Bb step by step:
- Start on: Bb
- Step 1: move up to B
- Step 2: move up to C
- Step 3: Land on Db
- B is a minor second above Bb.
- C is a major 2nd above Bb.
- Db is a minor third above Bb.
The Maj 6th
The major sixth of a Bb Diminished 7th chord is G. The major sixth is down three half-steps from the Root (a minor third down).
In diminished chords, the major sixth is also known as the diminished seventh. For the purposes of this tutorial, we'll be learning it as the major sixth, since it's easier to consider it separately than the other two sevenths, the major seventh (M7) and minor seventh (m7)
Finding G from Bb step by step:
- Start on: Bb
- Step 1: move down to A
- Step 2: move down to Ab
- Step 3: Land on G
- A is a minor second below Bb.
- Ab is a major 2nd below Bb.
- G is a minor third below Bb. The maj 6th is down a minor third? Confusing, right? The note G is down 3 half-steps from Bb, but up 9 half-steps from Bb:
The Inversions of Bb Diminished 7th
Root Position
1st Inversion
2nd Inversion
3rd Inversion
How to find Bb Diminished 7th with my three-finger-method
This is the method taught in my book "How to Speed Read Piano Chord Symbols"
Step 1) Use the Fourth
Find the Root and the Fourth up from the Root. (See my tutorial on finding fourths).
Step 2) Move the right hand down
Move the root a minor third down (three keys to the left on the piano) and the other note (the fourth) a whole-step to the left (two keys down on the piano).
How to Find 7th Chords with Nate's Three Finger Method
- Major 7th chords: bring both fingers down a half-step
- Minor 7th chords: bring both fingers down a whole-step
- Dominant 7th chords: bring the Root down a whole-step, the fourth down a half-step
- Diminished 7th chords: bring the Root down a minor third, the fourth down a whole-step
If you would like to learn more about my method, pick up "How to Speed Read Piano Chord Symbols".
