As the ii in a ii-V-IA♭ major
- ii7B♭m7
- V7E♭7
- Imaj7A♭maj7
The standard cadence: B♭m7 carries the subdominant function before the dominant arrives.
B♭m7 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The B♭m7 chord is a minor seventh chord built on the root note B♭. Its notes are B♭, D♭, F and A♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as A♯m7.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Minor seventh chords are smooth and neutral, softer than a plain minor triad. They're a staple of jazz, funk and neo-soul, where they add motion without heavy tension.
- Notes
- B♭ · D♭ · F · A♭
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 7 · 10
- Note
- B♭
- Quality
- Minor 7
- Symbol
- B♭m7
B♭m7 on piano
4 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play B♭m7 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on B♭, index finger on D♭, middle finger on F and little finger on A♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard B♭, D♭ and A♭ are black keys and F is white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- B♭1
- D♭♭3
- F5
- A♭♭7
B♭m7 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, B♭m7 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 6: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
B♭ · D♭ · F · A♭
Try B♭m7 on the virtual piano
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B♭m7 chord notes
Also known as A♯m7
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | B♭(Bb) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | D♭(Db) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | F | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | A♭(Ab) |
How to use the B♭m7 chord
The B♭m7 chord is built from a root, a minor 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.
Minor seventh chords are foundational in jazz, funk, neo-soul and R&B. They're typically the iim7, iiim7 or vim7 chord of a major key and the i7 of a minor key.
In major keys B♭m7 is the ii7 in A♭ major, the vi7 in D♭ major and the iii7 in G♭ major; in minor keys it's the iv7 in F minor, the i7 in B♭ minor and the v7 in E♭ minor.
How B♭m7 differs from similar chords
B♭m7 puts a minor seventh on a minor triad, which separates it from B♭m(maj7), whose seventh is a half step higher and much sharper. Compared with B♭m7♭5, it keeps a perfect fifth, so it sounds relaxed rather than tense. Its upper three notes form the major triad a minor third above the root, which is why it blends so easily with major chords.
Where B♭m7 is used
A minor chord works as the tonic of its own key, and as the vi or the ii of a major one. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.
As the vi in a major keyD♭ major
- Imaj7D♭maj7
- vi7B♭m7
- ii7E♭m7
- V7A♭7
A turnaround. B♭m7 is the relative minor of D♭, which softens the way back to the tonic.
As a modal tonicB♭ minor
A modal vamp - B♭m7 is home, and the loop never resolves away from it.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the B♭m7 chord?
- The B♭m7 chord contains B♭, D♭, F and A♭ (Bb, Db, F and Ab in plain text).
- Is the B♭m7 chord major or minor?
- B♭m7 is a minor seventh chord. Minor seventh chords are smooth and neutral, softer than a plain minor triad. They're a staple of jazz, funk and neo-soul, where they add motion without heavy tension.
- What key is the B♭m7 chord in?
- In major keys B♭m7 is the ii7 in A♭ major, the vi7 in D♭ major and the iii7 in G♭ major; in minor keys it's the iv7 in F minor, the i7 in B♭ minor and the v7 in E♭ minor.
- How do you play B♭m7 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. On the keyboard B♭, D♭ and A♭ are black keys and F is white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play B♭m7 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 6: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
- What is another name for the B♭m7 chord?
- B♭m7 is enharmonically equivalent to A♯m7. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.