Chords › B♭7
B Flat 7 Chord on Guitar
- B♭7
- B♭ · D · F · A♭
- Barre at fret 1
- Also written A♯7
A-shape barre
B♭7 is a dominant seventh chord: a major chord with a flat seventh added, which makes it want to move on. B♭7 has no open shape, so it is usually played as an A-shape barre chord at the 1st fret.
How to play B♭7, finger by finger
- Lay your index finger flat across strings 5 to 1 at the 1st fret.
- Put your ring finger on string 4 at the 3rd fret.
- Put your pinky finger on string 2 at the 3rd fret.
- Strum from string 5 down to string 1, and don't play string 6.
More ways to play B♭7
Notes in B♭7
| Note | Interval | Role |
|---|---|---|
| B♭ | 1 | root |
| D | 3 | major third |
| F | 5 | fifth |
| A♭ | ♭7 | flat seventh |
Formula: 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7
Questions about B♭7
What notes are in B♭7?
B♭, D, F and A♭. Those are the 1, 3, 5, ♭7 of the chord, counted from B♭.
Which strings do I strum for B♭7?
Start on string 5 and strum down to string 1.
Is B♭7 the same as A♯7?
Yes, on guitar they are played the same way and sound the same. B flat and A sharp are two names for one note: songs in sharp keys write A♯, songs in flat keys write B♭.
What chord does B♭7 lead to?
Most often E♭. B♭7 is the five chord of E♭, so it pulls strongly back to E♭.
Related chords
Often played with B♭7
Other 7 chords