What B♭maj7 is built from
Counting up in semitones from B♭:
| Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|
| B♭ | root | 0 |
| D | major third | 4 |
| F | perfect fifth | 7 |
| A | major seventh | 11 |
Move all four of those the same distance and you get the same chord on another root — that is what the major seventh formula 0 – 4 – 7 – 11 means.
How to play B♭maj7
Leave the low E string out. Lay your first finger flat across fret 1 and let the other fingers take the notes above it. Nothing is higher than fret 3, so it sits in first position.
All four strings are played. The A string rings open. Nothing is higher than fret 3, so it sits in first position.
Play B♭, D, F and A together. That is three white keys and one black.
Numbers in the grids are frets. Where a number is printed beside a grid, that is the fret the top row stands for; otherwise the thick bar at the top is the nut. A circle above a string means play it open, a cross means leave it out.
Guitar, string by string
| Guitar string | Stopped at | Sounds |
|---|---|---|
| low E | not played | — |
| A | fret 1 | B♭ |
| D | fret 3 | F |
| G | fret 2 | A |
| B | fret 3 | D |
| top E | fret 1 | F |
Ukulele, string by string
| Ukulele string | Stopped at | Sounds |
|---|---|---|
| G | fret 3 | B♭ |
| C | fret 2 | D |
| E | fret 1 | F |
| A | open | A |
B♭maj7 on the stave
The same four notes written on a treble stave, spelled the way a major seventh is spelled — one letter for every other step, with whichever accidental reaches the pitch. That is why it reads B♭, D, F and A, and not the same sounds written some other way.
Which keys B♭maj7 belongs to
| Key | Relative minor | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| F major | D minor | IVmaj7 |
| B♭ major | G minor | Imaj7 |
Each row is a key whose scale contains every note of B♭maj7. A major key and its relative minor use the same seven notes, so the chord belongs to both.
Chords that sit next to B♭maj7
The seven triads built on the scale of B♭ major. These are the chords B♭maj7 is most often played alongside, because they are made from the same seven notes. The small numeral is the degree each one stands on.
Other chords on B♭
Same root, different notes above it.
Chords straight off a recording
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