Major 7th chord · Bb root
Bbmaj7 chord
- Bb1
- D3
- F5
- A7
The Bb major 7th chord (also called the A#maj7 chord — same notes, different spelling) is built from the notes Bb, D, F, A. It turns up 6 times in the 104 songs on this site, including Autumn Leaves and Best Part.
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); shift all fretted notes together to transpose it along the neck. It is rated intermediate. A soft, jazzy chord heard all over neo-soul and bossa. Across the 104 song sheets in this site's library, Bbmaj7 appears 6 times in 2 songs, most often in the keys of Gm and D, 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.
Leave out the lowest fretted note (A string) and practise the remaining strings. The bass changes, and the upper strings may still need a smaller barre; check that the third and other colour tones stay clear. 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
- 6
- songs
- 2
- common keys
- Gm · D
Across the 104 chord sheets on this site, Bbmaj7 appears 6 times in 2 songs — most often in the keys of Gm and D.
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: 1879 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
Every note here is fretted, which means the shape transposes anywhere on the neck without changing your fingers.
It uses 2 separate barres. Fret each one across its marked strings, then add the other fingers without damping the ringing notes.
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
