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  #1  
Old 01-02-2020, 08:07 PM
Riverwolf Riverwolf is offline
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Default How (why) is this a Bm chord

Due to arthritic hands this is the only Bm chord shape that I play.
Same notes but I do reverse fingers 3 and 4.
However, I don't understand how or why it is named a Bm.
Help?
Thanks.

[IMG][/IMG]
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  #2  
Old 01-02-2020, 08:26 PM
stanron stanron is offline
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It's a Bm chord because it contains the notes B, D and F#, In this instance the F# is doubled but the chord is still Bm. If it was done as a barre chord it would be done like this;
Code:
    Bm
╒═╤═╤═╤═╤═╕	
│ │ │ │ │ │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤
1 1 │ │ │ 1
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤
│ │ │ │ 2 │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤
│ │ 3 4 │ │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤

The notes in this chord are all two frets higher than the notes in an open Am.
Code:
    Am
╒═╤═╤═╤═╤═╕	
│ │ │ │ 1 │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤
│ │ 2 3 │ │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤
An easier Bm for arthritic hands might be an Em shape barred up at the 7th fret.

Code:
│ │ │ │ │ │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤ 
1 │ │ 1 1 1
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤ fret 7
│ │ │ │ │ │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤
│ 3 4 │ │ │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤
Arthritus is getting my hands badly now so I sympathize.
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  #3  
Old 01-02-2020, 08:50 PM
MC5C MC5C is offline
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It's just an Am chord slid up two frets. The bass root would be on the fifth string, but you're leaving it out. Still has a B note, which is the root, and a D note, which is the minor third, so it's a Bm chord based on that alone. Anything else is just juice, man. It's extra. I often play minor chords based on that grip, using just the three strings in the middle. although my hand always add the root on the fifth string just because of muscle memory.

If you have the root and the minor third - heck, if you just have a decent bass player and the minor third, it's a legit minor chord... Freddie Green played about a million one note chords based on that principle in his career.

As an aside, I very often substitute a m7 chord for any minor chord, so that nice Bm7 at the seventh fret that Stanron showed, I just barre the 7th fret and play the whole thing, I damp out the fifth string, boom, done.
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Last edited by MC5C; 01-02-2020 at 08:55 PM.
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  #4  
Old 01-02-2020, 10:21 PM
frankmcr frankmcr is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Riverwolf View Post

[IMG][/IMG]
If you want to really emphasize the B, play XX0402.
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  #5  
Old 01-03-2020, 01:12 AM
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rick-slo rick-slo is offline
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You could label it Bm/F#.
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  #6  
Old 01-03-2020, 01:00 PM
JonPR JonPR is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Riverwolf View Post
Due to arthritic hands this is the only Bm chord shape that I play.
Same notes but I do reverse fingers 3 and 4.
However, I don't understand how or why it is named a Bm.
Help?
Thanks.

[IMG][/IMG]
Long answer:

Triad chords (3-notes) are built from alternate steps of a scale. The 1st (lowest) note is named as the "root", the 3rd note is (er...) the 3rd, and the 5th note up is (guess what) the 5th.

The distance between these notes dictates what sort of chord it is.

Major and minor chords both have a "perfect 5th" (7 semitones or half-steps between the root and 5th).
Major chords have a bigger (major) 3rd, 4 half-steps from the root, and minor chords .... yep you guessed it ... have a smaller (minor) 3rd, only 3 half-steps above the root.

Chord symbols use a shorthand, taking some intervals for granted. So a B major chord is just called "B". We take the 3rd (D#) and 5th (F#) for granted.

You can understand chord formulas better by counting the frets up one string. So if we want a major chord starting on an open string, we want frets 0-4-7, to give us the right size 3rd and 5th. For a minor chord, it would be 0-3-7.

So to form a B minor chord, we could start with the B string. The minor 3rd we want is then the 3rd fret (D) and the perfect 5th is the 7th fret (F#).

Of course we can't play a chord on one string! So we spread the 3 notes across 3 strings.
In this case, we keep the D on fret 3 of the 2nd string, but move the B to 4th fret 3rd string, and the F# to fret 2 on the first string.
So, x-x-x-4-3-2 is a complete Bm chord: B-D-F#, root 3rd 5th.

But what about those other 3 strings? It's a bit impractical to have to avoid or mute those when strumming, which is why most guitar chord shapes double up the chord tones to fill as many strings as possible. There are many ways we can get B, D and/or F# notes on the other strings, and you shape is just one of them. Obviously you have to avoid hitting the 6th and 5th strings (E-A) when playing it, but I guess you can do that.
Another option you might like to try is this:

-x- mute with index or middle if you can't barre it
-3-(D) middle
-4-(B) pinky
-4-(F#) ring
-2-(B) index
-x- mute with thumb

That gives you the B as a bass note.
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Last edited by JonPR; 01-03-2020 at 01:50 PM.
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  #7  
Old 01-03-2020, 02:39 PM
robj144 robj144 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rick-slo View Post
You could label it Bm/F#.
Or, an inversion of Bm.
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  #8  
Old 01-03-2020, 02:43 PM
robj144 robj144 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stanron View Post
Code:
│ │ │ │ │ │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤ 
1 │ │ 1 1 1
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤ fret 7
│ │ │ │ │ │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤
│ 3 4 │ │ │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤
Arthritus is getting my hands badly now so I sympathize.
Code:
│ │ │ │ │ │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤ 
| │ │ 1 1 1
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤ fret 7
│ │ │ │ │ │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤
│ | 4 │ │ │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤
Just the bottom 4 strings also works. I do this all the time and it's a little different voicing than normal too. And, if you do this:

Code:
│ │ │ │ │ │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤ 
| │ │ 1 | 1
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤ fret 7
│ │ │ │ 2 │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤
│ | 4 │ │ │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤
It makes a variation of a G chord. I use these shapes constantly because there are a lot of chords you can find there just changing a fret or a finger. Since Bm is the relative minor of D, those two chords work well together. Slide up a fret and change the figuring slightly and you're on C:

Code:
│ │ │ │ │ │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤ 
| │ │ | 1 1
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤ fret 8
│ │ │ 2 | │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤
│ | 3 | │ │
├─┼─┼─┼─┼─┤
They are all right there and it's easy change quickly and hammer on and off to change the chords too.
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Last edited by robj144; 01-03-2020 at 02:49 PM.
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  #9  
Old 01-03-2020, 03:12 PM
rick-slo's Avatar
rick-slo rick-slo is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robj144 View Post
Or, an inversion of Bm.
Just a way of putting a name on a chord chart.
An inversion of Bm is less specific as it could also be Bm/D.
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  #10  
Old 01-03-2020, 03:56 PM
PHJim PHJim is offline
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If it'd make it any easier on your arthritic hands, you could play XX0432 and have an octave 3 (D) rather than an octave 5 (F#). DBDF# or Bm/D
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  #11  
Old 01-04-2020, 09:22 AM
Riverwolf Riverwolf is offline
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Thanks for all the answers.
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