B♭ minor seventh chord (B♭m7)

B♭ minor seventh is a 4-note minor seventh chord: B♭ – D♭ – F – A♭. It sounds relaxed, warm and a little melancholic. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele, with fingering and audio. Also called A♯ minor seventh (A♯m7).

NotesB♭ – D♭ – F – A♭
Formula1 – ♭3 – 5 – ♭7
SymbolB♭m7 · B♭min7 · B♭-7
EnharmonicA♯ minor seventh (A♯m7)

B♭ minor seventh on guitar

Barre at fret 1 (A shape)
Barre at fret 6 (E shape)

How to place your fingers (barre at fret 1)

Barre fret 1 with your index finger, from the 5th to the 1st string.
Finger 3 (ring finger) on fret 3 of the 4th string (D).
Finger 2 (middle) on fret 2 of the 2nd string (B).
Do not play the 6th string: strum from the 5th.

The numbers inside the dots are the fingers of your left hand: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring and 4 pinky. The colored dots mark the root (B♭). The other positions let you change chords without jumping along the neck, or give you a higher-pitched sound.

B♭ minor seventh on piano

In root position, play B♭ – D♭ – F – A♭ from bottom to top with fingers 1, 2, 3 and 5 of your right hand. With your left hand you usually play just the root (B♭) or the root and the fifth.

Inversions

First inversion: D♭ – F – A♭ – B♭
Second inversion: F – A♭ – B♭ – D♭
Third inversion: A♭ – B♭ – D♭ – F

B♭ minor seventh on ukulele

From fret 1
From fret 3

Standard tuning G – C – E – A (the G string is the high one). Is your ukulele in tune? Use the ukulele tuner.

Notes and intervals of B♭ minor seventh

B♭1 · root
D♭♭3 · minor third
F5 · perfect fifth
A♭♭7 · minor seventh

It's the second degree of the jazz ii–V–I progression and shows up in salsa, funk, neo soul and pop.

Progressions with B♭m7

The ii–V–I: ii7 – V7 – Imaj7

B♭m7 is the second degree of A♭ major.

Two-chord vamp: i7 – IV7

A typical funk, soul and salsa groove.

Which keys contain B♭ minor seventh?

B♭m7 belongs to 6 keys: in each one it plays a different role depending on the degree (the Roman numeral).

Key	Degree
D♭ major	vi7
F♯ major	iii7
A♭ major	ii7
D♯ natural minor	v7
F natural minor	iv7
B♭ natural minor	i7

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the B-flat minor seventh chord?

B♭ minor seventh (B♭m7) has 4 notes: B♭ (root), D♭ (minor third), F (perfect fifth), A♭ (minor seventh).

How do you play B♭ minor seventh on guitar?

The most common shape uses a barre at fret 1: x 1 3 1 2 1 (from string 6 to string 1). Barre fret 1 with your index finger, from string 5 to string 1. Place finger 3 (ring) at fret 3 on string 4 (D). Place finger 2 (middle) at fret 2 on string 2 (B). Don't play string 6: strum from string 5.

Is B♭m7 the same as A♯m7?

Yes: B♭ minor seventh and A♯ minor seventh sound the same and are played the same way (they're enharmonic). The spelling depends on the song's key; you'll see both names in sheet music and songbooks.

How do you write B-flat minor seventh as a chord symbol?

It's written B♭m7; you'll also see B♭min7 or B♭-7. Letter notation names the notes C, D, E, F, G, A and B.

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