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B♭ 7th flat 5 chord on ukulele (B♭7♭5)
Also called or written B♭7♭5, B♭, B♭ Dominant 7th Flat 5 or B♭ 7th ♭5
B♭ 7th flat 5 contains B♭, D, F♭, and A♭. The 3rd fret shape demands a pinky reach to fret 5 on the A string, making it a stretchy advanced grip.
How it is built
Formula 1, 3, ♭5, ♭7
- Root positionB♭–D–F♭–A♭B♭7♭59-10-10-11
- First inversionD–F♭–A♭–B♭B♭7♭5/D1-2-0-1
- Second inversionF♭–A♭–B♭–DB♭7♭5/F♭3-4-4-5
- Third inversionA♭–B♭–D–F♭B♭7♭5/A♭7-8-6-7
How do you play a B♭ 7th flat 5 chord on ukulele?
B♭ 7th flat 5 is played at the 3rd fret as 3 4 4 5: index finger on the G string at fret 3, middle finger on the C string at fret 4, ring finger on the E string at fret 4 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 5.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 3 | 1 | B♭ (1) |
| 3 (C) | 4 | 2 | F♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (E) | 4 | 3 | A♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (A) | 5 | 4 | D (3) |
AdvancedThe pinky must stretch to fret 5 on the A string while the other fingers hold frets 3 and 4 cleanly.
B♭7♭5/A♭ inversion
B♭ 7th flat 5 is played at the 6th fret as 7 8 6 7: middle finger on the G string at fret 7, pinky finger on the C string at fret 8, index finger on the E string at fret 6 and ring finger on the A string at fret 7.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 7 | 2 | D (3) |
| 3 (C) | 8 | 4 | A♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (E) | 6 | 1 | B♭ (1) |
| 1 (A) | 7 | 3 | F♭ (♭5) |
9th fret
B♭ 7th flat 5 is played at the 9th fret as 9 10 10 11: index finger on the G string at fret 9, middle finger on the C string at fret 10, ring finger on the E string at fret 10 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 11.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 9 | 1 | F♭ (♭5) |
| 3 (C) | 10 | 2 | B♭ (1) |
| 2 (E) | 10 | 3 | D (3) |
| 1 (A) | 11 | 4 | A♭ (♭7) |
B♭7♭5/D inversion
B♭ 7th flat 5 is played in open position as 1 2 0 1: index finger on the G string at fret 1, ring finger on the C string at fret 2 and middle finger on the A string at fret 1. The E string rings open.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 1 | 1 | A♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (C) | 2 | 3 | D (3) |
| 2 (E) | open | — | F♭ (♭5) |
| 1 (A) | 1 | 2 | B♭ (1) |
Why it sounds like that
B♭ 7th flat 5 is built from the formula 1, 3, ♭5, ♭7. The diminished 5th between B♭ and F♭ gives the chord its tense, unresolved quality. Compared to B♭ 7th, the perfect 5th is lowered by one semitone.
What goes wrong with B♭ 7th flat 5?
- The pinky flattens and mutes the A string at fret 5.
- The index finger lifts off the G string, causing a buzz.
When to use it
Use the supplied linked chords to hear its tension without adding unsupported harmony. It suits jazz and blues where a darker, unresolved color is needed. Pair it with B♭ major for a quick release of tension.
Changing to and from B♭ 7th flat 5
- Sliding the shape down two frets to the 1st fret gives A♭ 7th flat 5.
- Sliding the shape up two frets to the 5th fret gives C 7th flat 5.
Which voicing to use
The 3rd fret position keeps B♭ in the bass for a root-position sound. The B♭7♭5/A♭ inversion at frets 1-2-0-1 puts A♭ in the bass and is the easiest shape to grab. The B♭7♭5/D inversion at frets 7-8-6-7 places D in the bass for a brighter register.
Other B♭ chords
Common questions
How is B♭ 7th flat 5 written?
B♭ 7th flat 5 is written as B♭7♭5 or B♭7-5. The ASCII root is Bb, so Bb7b5 also works. It is also spelled A♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between B♭ 7th flat 5 and B♭ 7th?
B♭ 7th has a perfect 5th (F), while B♭ 7th flat 5 lowers that note to F♭. This creates a diminished 5th interval and a more dissonant sound.
Why does B♭ 7th flat 5 sound so tense?
The chord contains a tritone between B♭ and F♭, which is highly unstable. This tension makes it want to resolve to a more consonant chord.