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B♭ minor 7th chord on guitar (B♭m7)
Also called or written B♭m7 or B♭min7
B♭ minor 7th contains B♭, D♭, F, and A♭. The 1st-fret grip is a compact barre shape that demands a clean index barre across five strings.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7
- Root positionB♭–D♭–F–A♭B♭m7×-1-3-1-2-1
- First inversionD♭–F–A♭–B♭B♭m7/D♭9-8-8-10-9-×
- Second inversionF–A♭–B♭–D♭B♭m7/F1-1-3-1-2-1
- Third inversionA♭–B♭–D♭–FB♭m7/A♭4-4-3-3-×-×
How do you play a B♭ minor 7th chord on guitar?
B♭ minor 7th is played at the 1st fret as × 1 3 1 2 1: barre your index finger across fret 1, pinky finger on the D string at fret 3 and ring finger on the B string at fret 2. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 1 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 3 | 4 | F (5) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 2 | 3 | D♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 1 | 1 (barre) | F (5) |
AdvancedThe index barre must fret the A string and high e cleanly while the pinky reaches fret 3 on the D string.
6th fret
B♭ minor 7th is played at the 6th fret as 6 8 6 6 6 6: barre your index finger across fret 6 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 8.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 8 | 4 | F (5) |
| 4 (D) | 6 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 6 | 1 (barre) | D♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 6 | 1 (barre) | F (5) |
| 1 (e) | 6 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (1) |
8th fret
B♭ minor 7th is played at the 8th fret as × × 8 10 9 9: index finger on the D string at fret 8, pinky finger on the G string at fret 10, middle finger on the B string at fret 9 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 9. The low E and A strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 8 | 1 | B♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 10 | 4 | F (5) |
| 2 (B) | 9 | 2 | A♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 9 | 3 | D♭ (♭3) |
13th fret
B♭ minor 7th is played at the 13th fret as × 13 15 13 14 13: barre your index finger across fret 13, pinky finger on the D string at fret 15 and ring finger on the B string at fret 14. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 13 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 15 | 4 | F (5) |
| 3 (G) | 13 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 14 | 3 | D♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 13 | 1 (barre) | F (5) |
B♭m7/D♭ inversion
B♭ minor 7th is played at the 8th fret as 9 8 8 10 9 ×: barre your index finger across fret 8, middle finger on the low E string at fret 9, pinky finger on the G string at fret 10 and ring finger on the B string at fret 9. The high e string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 9 | 2 | D♭ (♭3) |
| 5 (A) | 8 | 1 (barre) | F (5) |
| 4 (D) | 8 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 10 | 4 | F (5) |
| 2 (B) | 9 | 3 | A♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
Why it sounds like that
B♭ minor 7th is built from 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7. The ♭7 (A♭) is the interval that makes it a minor 7th rather than a plain B♭ minor. The ♭3 (D♭) supplies the minor quality.
What goes wrong with B♭ minor 7th?
- The B string buzzes under the ring finger if it lands too far from the fret.
- The low E string rings through when the index finger fails to mute it.
- The pinky flattens onto the G string, muting the note at fret 1.
When to use it
B♭ minor 7th suits smooth jazz, R&B, and minor-key ballads. Use it as a substitute for B♭ minor when you want a softer, more colorful sound.
Changing to and from B♭ minor 7th
- Sliding the shape up two frets to the 3rd fret gives C minor 7th.
- From B♭ minor 7th to <a href="/guitar/b-flat-minor-chord">B♭ minor</a>, lift the pinky off the D string and keep the barre.
Which voicing to use
The 1st-fret grip keeps B♭ in the bass and is the default shape. The 6th-fret barre is brighter and sits higher on the neck, while the B♭m7/D♭ inversion puts D♭ in the bass for a darker, more unstable sound.
Other B♭ chords
Common questions
How is B♭ minor 7th written?
B♭ minor 7th is written B♭min7 or B♭m7. The root is also written Bb in ASCII. It is also spelled A♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between B♭ minor 7th and B♭ minor?
B♭ minor 7th adds the ♭7 (A♭) to the B♭ minor triad. The added note softens the chord and gives it a more complex, jazzy color.
Why is the low E string muted in the 1st-fret shape?
The low E string is muted because its open note E is not part of the chord. Muting it keeps the bass note B♭ on the A string clear.
Can B♭ minor 7th be played without a barre?
The 8th-fret shape uses no barre: place fingers on the D, G, B, and high e strings only. It is easier for players who struggle with barre chords.