As the tonic (I)B♭ major
Home. The loop leaves B♭ Major and keeps coming back to it.
B♭ Major Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The B♭ Major chord is built on the root note B♭. Its notes are B♭, D and F. It's enharmonically the same chord as A♯ Major.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Major chords feel bright, stable and resolved. A root, a major third and a perfect fifth give them a happy, confident sound. Most popular music is built on them.
- Notes
- B♭ · D · F
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7
- Note
- B♭
- Quality
- Major
- Symbol
- B♭
B♭ Major on piano
3 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play B♭ Major on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on B♭, middle finger on D and little finger on F. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard B♭ is a black key and D and F are 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
- D3
- F5
B♭ Major on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, B♭ Major 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. If the full barre won't ring yet, play strings 4 to 1 only: they already hold all three notes.
B♭ · D · F
Play B♭ Major on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
B♭ Major chord notes
Also known as A♯ Major
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | B♭(Bb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | D | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | F |
How to use the B♭ Major chord
The B♭ Major chord is built from a root, a major third and a perfect fifth. Start at the root B♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: B♭, D and F. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
You'll find major chords in almost every style of popular music: rock anthems, country ballads, pop hits and hymns. They commonly appear as the I, IV and V chords in a major key.
In major keys B♭ is the IV in F major, the I in B♭ major and the V in E♭ major; in minor keys it's the VI in D minor, the III in G minor and the VII in C minor.
How B♭ Major differs from similar chords
B♭ and B♭m share the root and the fifth, and the only difference is the third: a major third in B♭, a minor third in B♭m. Add a major seventh and it becomes B♭maj7, add a minor seventh and it becomes B♭7. Of all the chords on this root, the plain major triad is the one that sounds finished.
Songs that use the B♭ Major chord
These well-known tracks all play the B♭ Major chord somewhere - they are not necessarily in that key.
- 1Eye of the TigerSurvivor
- 2SeptemberEarth Wind and Fire
- 3SuperstitionStevie Wonder
- 4Dancing QueenABBA
- 5Mr. BrightsideThe Killers
Where B♭ Major is used
A major chord is at home as a tonic, and just as useful as the IV or the V of a neighbouring key. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.
Scales that contain B♭
These scales include B♭ as one of their diatonic chords. Use them to find melodies and improvisation ideas that fit perfectly.
C Natural Minor
C · D · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭
C Dorian
C · D · E♭ · F · G · A · B♭
C Mixolydian
C · D · E · F · G · A · B♭
C Aeolian
C · D · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭
C Hindu
C · D · E · F · G · A♭ · B♭
C Arabian
C · D · E · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭
D Natural Minor
D · E · F · G · A · B♭ · C
D Harmonic Minor
D · E · F · G · A · B♭ · C♯
D Phrygian
D · E♭ · F · G · A · B♭ · C
D Aeolian
D · E · F · G · A · B♭ · C
D Locrian
D · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭ · C
D Hungarian Minor
D · E · F · G♯ · A · B♭ · C♯
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the B♭ Major chord?
- The B♭ Major chord contains B♭, D and F (Bb, D and F in plain text).
- Is the B♭ Major chord major or minor?
- B♭ Major is a major chord. Major chords feel bright, stable and resolved. A root, a major third and a perfect fifth give them a happy, confident sound. Most popular music is built on them.
- What key is the B♭ Major chord in?
- In major keys B♭ is the IV in F major, the I in B♭ major and the V in E♭ major; in minor keys it's the VI in D minor, the III in G minor and the VII in C minor.
- How do you play B♭ Major on piano?
- Place your fingers on B♭, D and F 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♭ is a black key and D and F are 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♭ Major 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. If the full barre won't ring yet, play strings 4 to 1 only: they already hold all three notes.
- What is another name for the B♭ Major chord?
- B♭ Major is enharmonically equivalent to A♯ Major. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.