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B♭ minor major 7th chord on guitar (B♭mMaj7)
Also called or written B♭mMaj7, B♭minmaj7, B♭mmaj7, B♭mM7, B♭ Minor Sharp 7 or B♭ Minor ♯7
B♭ minor major 7th is built from B♭, D♭, F, and A. The 1st fret voicing uses a barre across the top two strings, making it a compact but demanding shape.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, 5, 7
- Root positionB♭–D♭–F–AB♭mMaj7×-1-3-2-2-1
- First inversionD♭–F–A–B♭B♭mMaj7/D♭9-8-8-10-10-×
- Second inversionF–A–B♭–D♭B♭mMaj7/F1-0-3-3-2-×
- Third inversionA–B♭–D♭–FB♭mMaj7/A×-0-3-3-2-1
How do you play a B♭ minor major 7th chord on guitar?
B♭ minor major 7th is played at the 1st fret as × 1 3 2 2 1: barre your index finger across fret 1, pinky finger on the D string at fret 3, middle finger on the G string at fret 2 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) | 2 | 2 | A (7) |
| 2 (B) | 2 | 3 | D♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 1 | 1 (barre) | F (5) |
AdvancedThe index finger must barre the A string and high e cleanly while the pinky stretches to the 3rd fret on the D string.
6th fret
B♭ minor major 7th is played at the 6th fret as 6 8 7 6 6 6: barre your index finger across fret 6, pinky finger on the A string at fret 8 and ring finger on the D string at fret 7.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 8 | 4 | F (5) |
| 4 (D) | 7 | 3 | 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 major 7th is played at the 8th fret as × × 8 10 10 9: index finger on the D string at fret 8, ring finger on the G string at fret 10, pinky finger on the B string at fret 10 and middle 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 | 3 | F (5) |
| 2 (B) | 10 | 4 | A (7) |
| 1 (e) | 9 | 2 | D♭ (♭3) |
13th fret
B♭ minor major 7th is played at the 13th fret as × 13 15 14 14 13: barre your index finger across fret 13, pinky finger on the D string at fret 15, middle finger on the G string at fret 14 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) | 14 | 2 | A (7) |
| 2 (B) | 14 | 3 | D♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 13 | 1 (barre) | F (5) |
B♭minmaj7/D♭ inversion
B♭ minor major 7th is played at the 8th fret as 9 8 8 10 10 ×: barre your index finger across fret 8, middle finger on the low E string at fret 9, ring finger on the G string at fret 10 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 10. 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 | 3 | F (5) |
| 2 (B) | 10 | 4 | A (7) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
Why it sounds like that
B♭ minor major 7th combines a minor triad (1, ♭3, 5) with a major seventh (7), giving the formula 1, ♭3, 5, 7. The major seventh A is what gives this chord its distinctive tension. Compare it to B♭ minor, which has only the triad and sounds more settled.
What goes wrong with B♭ minor major 7th?
- Letting the low E string ring, which is not a chord tone.
- Buzzing the high e string under the barre.
- Muting the B string with the ring finger by flattening it.
When to use it
B♭ minor major 7th often appears as a tonic in B♭ minor, moving to B♭ minor or B♭ suspended 4th. It fits dark jazz, spy themes, and dramatic ballads.
Changing to and from B♭ minor major 7th
- Sliding the shape up one fret to the 2nd fret gives B minor major 7th.
Which voicing to use
The 1st fret voicing is the easiest and has B♭ in the bass. The 6th fret barre voicing offers a fuller sound with the root on the low E string. The 8th fret voicing omits the low strings for a brighter, higher-register tone.
Other B♭ chords
Common questions
How is B♭ minor major 7th written?
B♭ minor major 7th is written B♭mmaj7, B♭minmaj7, or B♭mM7. The ASCII root is Bb. It is also spelled A♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
Why does the 1st fret voicing mute the low E string?
The open low E is not a chord tone, so it must be muted to avoid dissonance. Muting it keeps the bass note as B♭.
How does B♭ minor major 7th differ from B♭ minor 7th?
The displayed shape preserves only the supplied notes and interval formula. The major seventh creates a sharper, more leading-tone pull.
What scale does B♭ minor major 7th come from?
B♭ minor major 7th appears in B♭ harmonic minor and B♭ melodic minor scales. The raised seventh degree of those scales is the A in this chord.