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 Cm7.
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 notes
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 D♯ and A♯ are black keys and B♯ and F𝄪 are white, the keys you'd normally call C and G. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- B♯1
- D♯♭3
- F𝄪5
- A♯♭7
B♯m7 on guitar
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 8: 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♯
Play B♯m7 on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
B♯m7 chord notes
Also known as Cm7
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | B♯(B#) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | D♯(D#) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | F𝄪(F##) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | A♯(A#) |
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.
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
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key B♯m7 would have a function in has a tonic that needs a double accidental, which is not a key this library teaches. The enharmonic spelling carries the same chord in a key that exists.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the B♯m7 chord?
- The B♯m7 chord contains B♯, D♯, F𝄪 and A♯ (B#, D#, F## and A# 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.
- 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 D♯ and A♯ are black keys and B♯ and F𝄪 are white, the keys you'd normally call C and G.
- How do you play B♯m7 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 8: 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 Cm7. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.