B♭m, the B♭ minor guitar chord

B♭m is the Bm grip moved down to the 1st fret, right beside the nut. That is the hardest place to barre: the strings sit stiffest there, and the index has to press five of them flat while three fingers hold the minor shape behind it. You’ll meet B♭m in soul and gospel, keeping company with the flat majors you already know. If the chord buzzes, roll the index slightly onto its bony edge and pull back with the arm, not the thumb. The low E stays out of the strum.

B♭m
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How to play it

  • Index finger flattened across the A string (5th) and high E string (1st), 1st fret.
  • Middle finger on the B string (2nd), 2nd fret.
  • Ring finger on the D string (4th), 3rd fret.
  • Pinky on the G string (3rd), 3rd fret.
  • Don't strum the low E string (6th). It stays silent in this shape.

Changes to practice

Holding B♭m still is the easy part. Songs need you to arrive at it in rhythm, so in Strumhold you practice B♭m as changes, alongside the rest of the Barres in Every Key set:

Same root, different color