B♭ major chord on ukulele (B♭)

B♭ is B♭, D and F. The usual shape is 3-2-1-1. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.

3-2-1-1 · movable · medium

Notes: B♭ · D · F
Formula: 1 · 3 · 5
First shape: 3-2-1-1

How to play B♭ on ukulele

Shape 1, 3-2-1-1, reading from the G string on the left:

Put your index finger on the E string at the 1st fret, which is F.
Put your middle finger on the A string at the 1st fret, which is B♭.
Put your ring finger on the C string at the 2nd fret, which is D.
Put your pinky finger on the G string at the 3rd fret, which is B♭.

The pinky takes a note here. Keep it curved and close to the fretboard between chords so it has less distance to travel.
On ukulele you strum all four strings. The top G string is tuned higher than the C, which is why ukulele chords sound bright and close.

Other ways to play B♭

7-5-6-5: movable shape at the 5th fret, medium. Same notes, stacked differently, so it sounds a little different.
10-10-10-8: movable shape at the 8th fret, medium. Higher up the neck it sounds brighter; handy when another guitar is already playing a lower shape.

B♭ the capo way

With a capo you can skip the harder shapes: capo on the 1st fret and play the open A shape (2-1-0-0), capo on the 3rd fret and play the open G shape (0-2-3-2), capo on the 5th fret and play the open F shape (2-0-1-0) or capo on the 6th fret and play the open E shape (1-4-0-2). Everything above the capo is fingered exactly like the open chord.

B♭ chord changes

Songs rarely hold B♭ for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.

E♭ (IV in B♭ major): B♭ (3-2-1-1) to E♭ (0-3-3-1): the index finger slides across to the A string at the same fret, the middle finger goes to the C string, 3rd fret, your ring finger lands on the E string, 3rd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Shared note: B♭. E♭ on ukulele
F (V in B♭ major): B♭ (3-2-1-1) to F (2-0-1-0): your index finger stays put, the middle finger goes to the G string, 2nd fret. That makes it one of the quickest changes from this chord. Listen for F, which stays put while the rest moves. F on ukulele
Gm (vi in B♭ major): B♭ (3-2-1-1) to Gm (0-2-3-1): the index finger slides across to the A string at the same fret, the middle finger goes to the C string, 2nd fret, your ring finger lands on the E string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. The two chords share B♭ and D, which is why the change sounds smooth. Gm on ukulele

B♭ has the stable, upbeat sound of every major triad. All 3 notes of B♭ fit on the ukulele's four strings, with one of them doubled. Play it once strummed and once picked to hear the difference.

A short B♭ drill

Pick shape 1 one string at a time, low to high: B♭, D, F, B♭. Every note should ring clearly; if one thuds, adjust that finger before you strum. Then switch to 7-5-6-5 and back four times without looking at your hand.

You may also see it as A♯; nothing changes on the ukulele.

B♭ in context

In B♭ major, I–V–vi–IV on ukulele is B♭ (3-2-1-1), F (2-0-1-0), Gm (0-2-3-1) and E♭ (0-3-3-1). About the pop progression.

In B♭ major, I–IV–V on ukulele is B♭ (3-2-1-1), E♭ (0-3-3-1) and F (2-0-1-0). About the three-chord progression.

In B♭ major, I–vi–IV–V on ukulele is B♭ (3-2-1-1), Gm (0-2-3-1), E♭ (0-3-3-1) and F (2-0-1-0). About the 50s progression.

B♭ on guitar and piano

The same notes on another instrument: B♭ on guitar and B♭ on piano. This page puts all three side by side.

Related B♭ chords on ukulele

Other major chords

B♭ on ukulele: questions

What notes are in B♭ on ukulele?

B♭, D and F. In the 3-2-1-1 shape the strings play B♭ (G string), D (C string), F (E string) and B♭ (A string), so B♭ is doubled.

What's the easiest way to play B♭ on ukulele?

In standard tuning B♭ can't use open strings. Begin with 3-2-1-1. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and a capo is worth trying when the song allows.

Is B♭ a barre chord on ukulele?

Not the usual shape: 3-2-1-1 needs no barre.

Which string does B♭ start on?

In the 3-2-1-1 shape the lowest string you play is the G string at the 3rd fret, which is B♭, the root.

Every shape above plays only B♭, D and F, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.