Major 7th chord · Bb root
Bbmaj7 chord
- Bb1
- D3
- F5
- A7
The Bb major 7th chord (also written A#maj7, same notes, different spelling) is built from the notes Bb, D, F, A. It turns up 5 times in the 80 songs on this site, including Autumn Leaves.
By Chiye · Updated
What is the Bbmaj7 chord?
The Bbmaj7 chord (Bb major 7th) is a major 7th chord built from four notes: Bb, D, F, A — the 1–3–5–7 of the Bb scale, 4 semitones and 7 semitones and 11 semitones above the root. On guitar it is most often played as a movable shape from fret 1 (x-1-3-2-3-1), so the same fingering works at any fret. It is rated intermediate. A soft, jazzy chord heard all over neo-soul and bossa. It is one of the most-used chords in this site's library: across the 80 song sheets charted here, Bbmaj7 appears 5 times in 1 song, most often in the key of Gm, and the chord it most often moves to is D#maj7. Below you will find step-by-step fingering, 3 positions up the neck, audio of every shape, and the real progressions this chord lives inside.
How do you play the Bbmaj7 chord on guitar?
Fret 1 barre — a movable shape, so this same fingering works for every root note.
- Lay your index finger flat across the A to high E strings at fret 1, rolled slightly onto its bony edge.
- Press the D string at fret 3 with your ring finger.
- Press the G string at fret 2 with your middle finger.
- Press the B string at fret 3 with your pinky finger.
- Start your strum on the A string and do not play the low E string at all.
Drop the lowest fretted note (A string) and play the rest as a four- or five-string shape. You lose the bass note but keep every note that gives the chord its name, and there is no barre left to fight. x-x-3-2-3-1
How do you make Bbmaj7 sound clean?
Bbmaj7 is often played with the index barring more strings than the shape needs.
Bbmaj7 → Gm7 → F: the IV–ii–I of F major, one position.
In real songs
What songs use the Bbmaj7 chord?
- chord changes
- 5
- songs
- 1
- common keys
- Gm
Across the 80 chord sheets on this site, Bbmaj7 appears 5 times in 1 song — most often in the key of Gm.
Cm7F7A#maj7D#maj7
Cm7F7A#maj7D#maj7
Cm7F7A#maj7A#maj7
Chord flow
What chord comes after Bbmaj7?
Every number here is a count from the progressions in our song sheets, not a generalisation: 1560 chord changes are behind these figures.
What other ways can you play Bbmaj7 up the neck?
2 more positions below. These are the same notes in a different part of the neck. Choosing the position closest to the chord you just played is what stops your hand jumping between changes.
Position 2 · Fret 6 barre
Because nothing rings open, you can move this whole shape to any fret and it keeps the same quality — only the letter name changes.
A single bar covers the rest of the strings here. If the inside strings stay dead, move the bar a millimetre closer to the fret wire before you try pressing harder.
Position 3 · Fret 8 barre
Every note here is fretted, which means the shape transposes anywhere on the neck without changing your fingers.
The barre is the only hard part of this shape. Keep the bar finger straight and use the weight of your arm rather than the grip of your thumb.
The theory behind Bbmaj7
Bbmaj7 is spelled Bb – D – F – A — the 1 – 3 – 5 – 7 of the Bb scale, which is the root plus 4 semitones, 7 semitones, 11 semitones. A soft, jazzy chord heard all over neo-soul and bossa.
The major seventh sits a semitone under the octave, which is why it sounds soft rather than tense. On guitar it is usually the highest fretted note, so it is also the first note to disappear if your finger rolls off.
Bbmaj7 on other instruments
Bb – D – F – A — the highlighted black keys are the sharps or flats; play each note once, then move them into one hand position.
Take it to the practice room
