Julie Swihart

Minor Second Chords

Let’s look at how to play a B flat minor 2 chord on the piano. We’ll also learn the pattern for building any other minor second chord.

What Are Minor Second Chords?

Minor second chords are minor chords with an added note. The added note is the second note of the matching major scale.

To build a minor second chord, we’ll start with a minor chord. We can build a minor chord by taking the matching major chord and lowering the middle note 1/2 step.

Then to convert the minor chord into a minor second chord, we’ll add the second note of the matching major scale.

How to Play a B Flat Minor 2 Chord

So to play a B flat minor 2 chord, we’ll stary by building a B flat minor chord. We can build a B flat minor chord by taking a B flat major chord, B♭ – D – F, and lowering the middle note 1/2 step: B♭ – D♭ – F

Then we’ll add the second note of the B flat major scale to the chord: C

So to play a B flat minor 2 chord, we’ll play:

B♭ – C – D♭ – F

We can use this pattern to build any other minor second chord. First we’ll build a minor chord, then we’ll add the second note of the matching major scale.

A B♭m2 chord uses the same notes as a B♭madd9 chord. A B♭madd9 chord is a minor chord with an added note. The added note is the ninth note of the matching major scale. The ninth note is the same note as the second note of the scale, just one octave up. So the B♭madd9 and B♭m2 chords have the same notes, just in a different order:

B♭m2: B♭ – C – D♭ – F
B♭madd9: B♭ – D♭ – F – C

Chord Types Printable

Learn to play 17 types of piano chords using 12 different root notes with this 34-page PDF! Chords are sorted both by their root note (C, D, E, etc.) and type (major, minor, augmented, diminished, etc.).

Get the Printable

Conclusion

Now you know how to play a B flat minor 2 chord on the piano, and you can use this knowledge to build other minor second chords!

Second chords are nice options for adding variety to piano music, since the added second note can make a chord sound more full and interesting. I hope you enjoy using these chords!