B♭7 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes

The B♭7 chord is a dominant seventh chord built on the root note B♭. Its notes are B♭, D, F and A♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as A♯7.

Dominant seventh chords sound tense and bluesy. The minor seventh on top of a major triad creates a pull toward a resolution, which is why this chord powers the blues and drives cadences in jazz and pop.

Guitar shapes Piano fingering

Root

Quality

B♭7 on piano

View:

Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.

To play B♭7 on piano, place your right-hand thumb on B♭, then index, middle and little finger on D, F and A♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.

B♭7 on guitar

View:

Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.

On guitar, B♭7 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre shape: keep the index finger flat across the fretboard and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Strum only the strings marked as active in the diagram.

Play the chord

B♭7

B♭ · D · F · A♭

B♭7 chord notes

Formula: 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7Notes: B♭ · D · F · A♭Also known as: A♯7

Degree	Interval	Semitones	Note
1	Root	0	B♭(Bb)
3	Major third	4	D
5	Perfect fifth	7	F
♭7	Minor seventh	10	A♭(Ab)

How to use the B♭7 chord

The B♭7 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth and a minor seventh. Start at the root B♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: B♭, D, F and A♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.

Blues, jazz, funk and rock'n'roll all run on dominant seventh chords. They typically act as the V7 resolving back to the tonic, or carry a twelve-bar blues from end to end.

Common progressions

The B♭7 chord works beautifully in these progressions. Click a chord name to jump to its page.

Dominant resolution

I → ii → V7 → I

E♭FmB♭7E♭

Twelve-bar blues

I7 → IV7 → I7 → V7

B♭7E♭7B♭7F7

Jazz turnaround

I → vi → ii → V7

E♭Cm FmB♭7

Once B♭7 feels comfortable, the chords below open up new progressions. Each one shares notes, keys or a harmonic function with it, which is what makes it the natural place to go next.

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the B♭7 chord?

The B♭7 chord contains B♭, D, F and A♭ (Bb, D, F and Ab in plain text).

Is the B♭7 chord major or minor?

B♭7 is a dominant seventh chord. Dominant seventh chords sound tense and bluesy. The minor seventh on top of a major triad creates a pull toward a resolution, which is why this chord powers the blues and drives cadences in jazz and pop.

How do you play B♭7 on piano?

Place your fingers on B♭, D, F and A♭ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right.

How do you play B♭7 on guitar?

B♭7 is typically played with the fingering shown in the diagram above. If one of the chord tones lines up with an open string, an open position is worth trying too.

What is another name for the B♭7 chord?

B♭7 is enharmonically equivalent to A♯7. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.

Keep exploring

Deepen your understanding of the B♭7 chord with our other music theory tools.

Browse all chords Explore scales Explore progressions Chord Transposer Chord Finder Chords in Key Try the Piano Open Circle of Fifths