Irish bouzouki Bm chord (GDAE)B minor: 4 0 2 2, and 5 more shapes
Frets, low course to high: 4 0 2 2 (open position)
- G course: 4th fret, ring finger, B
- D course: open, D
- A course: 2nd fret, index finger (barre), B
- E course: 2nd fret, index finger (barre), F♯
Sounds: B D B F♯ · Bm is B, D, F♯ (1 · ♭3 · 5)
Found in: D major (vi), G major (iii), A major (ii), D mixolydian (vi), A mixolydian (ii), E mixolydian (v)
Open courses that ring: D is a note of Bm, so it can drone under it.
No 3rd: B5 (4 4 2 2) leaves the 3rd out, so it backs B major, mixolydian, dorian and minor tunes alike.
Tuning GDAE: G D A E, low to high. The octave mandolin uses the same tuning, so these shapes fit it too.
The link can’t set the tuning: the app starts on the Irish bouzouki in GDAD. Choose GDAE once in its Settings and it remembers.
More Bm shapes
- x 0 2 2
open · Bm/D - 4 0 5 2
open - 4 4 5 x
4fr - 7 0 9 7
7fr · Bm/D - 11 9 9 10
9fr · Bm/F#
Bm in session keys
- B dorian (i, a main chord): Bm – A – Bm
- B minor (i, a main chord): Bm – A – G – A
- D major (vi): D – Bm – G – A (a B part that wanders, or a song)
Other B chords, Irish bouzouki GDAE
Other minor chords
Bm in other tunings
All Irish bouzouki GDAE chords · Printable chart (PDF) · Tuning · The app