Guitar chords · Dominant 7th
B♭7 chord on guitar (Bb7)
B♭7 (B♭ A major chord with a minor 7th added, such as G7. It is the V7 of a key and pulls strongly to the I chord.) has four notes: B♭, D, F and A♭, the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., 3, 5 and ♭7.
Shapes
How to play B♭7
Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7.; the other numbers are the chord tones.
B♭7 has no common A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em.. Play it as the A shape at The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. 1 or the E shape at fret 6. A A chord or scale fingering with no open strings. Slide it up or down the neck and it changes its root but not its type: a major shape stays major. keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., on the lowest played string, names the chord.
A shape · fret 1
E shape · fret 6
Notes and formula
What makes B♭7 dominant 7th
A A major chord with a minor 7th added, such as G7. It is the V7 of a key and pulls strongly to the I chord. chord is a major chord with a minor 7th added. Its 3rd and 7th are a The interval of six half steps, exactly half an octave, such as B to F. It is the tense heart of a dominant 7th chord. apart, and that tension pulls it to the chord a 5th below: the V7–I move that ends so many phrases. It is also the sound of the blues.
- 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
- 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
- 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.
The 3rd and the ♭7th make B♭7 a A major chord with a minor 7th added, such as G7. It is the V7 of a key and pulls strongly to the I chord. chord; you can leave out the 5th.
- B♭Rroot
- D3essential
- F5optional
- A♭♭7essential
- B♭, the root
- Other chord tones
B♭7 usually resolves to E♭ or E♭m, the chord a 5th below: the V7–I move.
B♭7 and A♯7 are the same chord with two names: same The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step., same sound. Which one you see depends on the key the song is written in.
Keys
Keys with B♭7
B♭7 belongs to three keys: E♭ major (V7), E♭ minor (V7, The natural minor scale with its 7th raised a half step, which makes the V chord major and gives it a strong pull home.) and C minor (VII7).
Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work
Progressions
Progressions with B♭7
Common progressions that use B♭7, each in a key that spells it B♭7. The outlined chord is B♭7.
Jazz ii–V–I in E♭ major
ii7 – V7 – Imaj7
- Fm7
- B♭7
- E♭maj7
Each chord falls a fifth to the next — a walk anticlockwise around the circle.
Heard in Autumn Leaves, Fly Me to the Moon
12-bar blues in B♭ major
I7 – I7 – I7 – I7 – IV7 – IV7 – I7 – I7 – V7 – IV7 – I7 – V7
- B♭7
- B♭7
- B♭7
- B♭7
- E♭7
- E♭7
- B♭7
- B♭7
- F7
- E♭7
- B♭7
- F7
Dominant 7th chords on I, IV and V across twelve bars. The foundation of blues and early rock 'n' roll.
Heard in Johnny B. Goode, Pride and Joy, Hound Dog
Minor ii–V–i in E♭ minor
iiø7 – V7 – i7
- Fm7♭5
- B♭7
- E♭m7
Half-diminished ii, dominant V7 and back to the minor tonic.
Heard in Blue Bossa, Autumn Leaves
Slash chords
B♭7 over another bass note
A A chord with a different note in the bass, written after a slash: C/E is a C chord with E as its lowest note. The letter after the slash is the bass. keeps B♭7 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.
- B♭7/D
B♭7 with its 3rd, D, in the bass: the first inversion.
- B♭7/F
B♭7 with its 5th, F, in the bass: the second inversion.
- B♭7/A♭
B♭7 with its ♭7th, A♭, in the bass: the third inversion.
Same root
Other chords on A♯ / B♭
Change one or two notes and the same The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7. gives a different colour. Compare them by ear.
- B♭ major
- B♭m minor
- B♭maj7 major 7th
- B♭m7 minor 7th
- B♭sus2 suspended 2nd
- B♭sus4 suspended 4th
- B♭6 major 6th
- B♭m6 minor 6th
- B♭add9 add 9
- B♭9 dominant 9th
- B♭maj9 major 9th
- B♭m9 minor 9th
- B♭13 dominant 13th
- B♭maj13 major 13th
- B♭m11 minor 11th
- A♯° diminished
- A♯m7♭5 half-diminished 7th
- A♯°7 diminished 7th
- B♭+ augmented
- B♭5 power chord
- B♭7sus4 dominant 7th suspended 4th
- B♭m(maj7) minor major 7th
- B♭6/9 six-nine
- B♭m(add9) minor add 9
- B♭7♯9 dominant 7th sharp 9th
Questions
B♭7, in short
- What notes are in the B♭7 chord?
- B♭7 (B♭ A major chord with a minor 7th added, such as G7. It is the V7 of a key and pulls strongly to the I chord.) has four notes: B♭, D, F and A♭, the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., 3, 5 and ♭7.
- How do you play B♭7 on guitar?
- B♭7 has no common A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em.. Play it as the A shape at The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. 1 or the E shape at fret 6.
- What key is B♭7 in?
- B♭7 belongs to three keys: E♭ major (V7), E♭ minor (V7, The natural minor scale with its 7th raised a half step, which makes the V chord major and gives it a strong pull home.) and C minor (VII7).
- Is B♭7 the same as A♯7?
- Yes: same frets, same sound, different name. B♭7 is the spelling in E♭ major, E♭ minor and C minor; A♯7 only in D♯ minor.