B♭ major seventh chord (B♭maj7)

B♭ major seventh is a 4-note major seventh chord: B♭ – D – F – A. It sounds soft, open and dreamy. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele, with fingering and audio. Also called A♯ major seventh (A♯maj7).

NotesB♭ – D – F – A
Formula1 – 3 – 5 – 7
SymbolB♭maj7 · B♭Δ7 · B♭M7 · B♭7M
EnharmonicA♯ major seventh (A♯maj7)

B♭ major seventh on guitar

Barre at fret 1 (A shape)
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 3rd string (G).
Finger 4 (pinky) on fret 3 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♭ major 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♭ major seventh on ukulele

From fret 1
From fret 2

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♭ major seventh

B♭1 · root
D3 · major third
F5 · perfect fifth
A7 · major seventh

Widely used in bossa nova, jazz, ballads and pop: it adds color to the tonic or the fourth degree without creating strong tension.

Progressions with B♭maj7

Turnaround: Imaj7 – vi7 – ii7 – V7

A four-chord turnaround widely used in jazz, bossa nova and ballads, in B♭ major.

A colorful fourth degree: Imaj7 – IVmaj7

Two major seventh chords that alternate to create a mellow mood.

Which keys contain B♭ major seventh?

B♭maj7 belongs to 4 keys: in each one it plays a different role depending on the degree (the Roman numeral).

Key	Degree
F major	IVmaj7
B♭ major	Imaj7
D natural minor	VImaj7
G natural minor	IIImaj7

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the B♭ major seventh chord?

B♭ major seventh (B♭maj7) has 4 notes: B♭ (root), D (major third), F (perfect fifth), A (major seventh).

How do you play B♭ major seventh on guitar?

The most common shape uses a barre at fret 1: x 1 3 2 3 1 (from the 6th to the 1st string). Barre fret 1 with your index finger, from the 5th to the 1st string. Finger 3 (ring) on fret 3 of the 4th string (D). Finger 2 (middle) on fret 2 of the 3rd string (G). Finger 4 (pinky) on fret 3 of the 2nd string (B). Do not play the 6th string: strum from the 5th.

Is B♭maj7 the same as A♯maj7?

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

How do you write B♭ major seventh in chord notation?

It is written B♭maj7; you may also see B♭Δ7, B♭M7 or B♭7M. Letter-name chord notation uses C, D, E, F, G, A and B for the notes.

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