B♯m(maj7) Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The B♯m(maj7) chord is a minor major seventh chord built on the root note B♯. Its notes are B♯, D♯, F𝄪 and A𝄪. It's enharmonically the same chord as Cm(maj7).
Minor major seventh chords are unsettling in a beautiful way. A major seventh over a minor triad creates a sharp, unresolved edge best known from spy themes, Hitchcock scores and the darker corners of jazz.
- Notes
- B♯ · D♯ · F𝄪 · A𝄪
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · 7
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 7 · 11
- Note
- B♯
- Quality
- Minor Major 7
- Symbol
- B♯m(maj7)
B♯m(maj7) 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♯m(maj7) 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♯ is a black key and B♯, F𝄪 and A𝄪 are white, the keys you'd normally call C, G and B. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- B♯1
- D♯♭3
- F𝄪5
- A𝄪7
B♯m(maj7) on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, B♯m(maj7) is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 3. Strings 3 and 2 ring open. Don't play string 6.
B♯ · D♯ · F𝄪 · A𝄪
Play B♯m(maj7) on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
B♯m(maj7) chord notes
Also known as Cm(maj7)
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | B♯(B#) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | D♯(D#) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | F𝄪(F##) | |
| 7 | Major seventh | 11 | A𝄪(A##) |
How to use the B♯m(maj7) chord
The B♯m(maj7) chord is built from a root, a minor third, a perfect fifth and a major 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 major seventh chords appear in line cliches, where the top voice of a minor chord walks down from the root through the major seventh. James Bond themes, bossa nova and minor-key jazz ballads are where you meet them.
How B♯m(maj7) differs from similar chords
B♯m(maj7) combines the minor third of B♯m with the major seventh of B♯maj7. Its seventh sits a half step higher than in B♯m7, right under the root, and that is where its tense, cinematic edge comes from. It usually passes by in a line cliché between B♯m and B♯m7.
Where B♯m(maj7) is used
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key B♯m(maj7) 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♯m(maj7) chord?
- The B♯m(maj7) chord contains B♯, D♯, F𝄪 and A𝄪 (B#, D#, F## and A## in plain text).
- Is the B♯m(maj7) chord major or minor?
- B♯m(maj7) is a minor major seventh chord. Minor major seventh chords are unsettling in a beautiful way. A major seventh over a minor triad creates a sharp, unresolved edge best known from spy themes, Hitchcock scores and the darker corners of jazz.
- How do you play B♯m(maj7) 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♯ is a black key and B♯, F𝄪 and A𝄪 are white, the keys you'd normally call C, G and B.
- How do you play B♯m(maj7) on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 3. Strings 3 and 2 ring open. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the B♯m(maj7) chord?
- B♯m(maj7) is enharmonically equivalent to Cm(maj7). Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.