Ways to play B♭7
Lowest on the neck first. Tap a shape to put it on the fretboard above and hear it. The numbers are fingers (1 is your index), × means leave that string out, and ○ means let it ring open.
What's in B♭7
A dominant 7th is a major triad plus a flat 7th, the note a whole step below the root. B♭7 is B♭, D, F, A♭. The 3rd (D) and ♭7 (A♭) are a tritone apart, and that tension is what makes the chord want to move.
| Note | Formula | Interval from B♭ |
|---|---|---|
| B♭ | 1 | Root |
| D | 3 | Major 3rd |
| F | 5 | Perfect 5th |
| A♭ | ♭7 | Minor 7th |
On its own it sounds unfinished, so in most music it is the V chord that leads home: B♭7 to E♭. Blues is the exception. There every chord can be a dominant 7th and nothing has to resolve.
Keys that use B♭7
Every major and minor key whose scale contains all of B♭, D, F and A♭, and the chord's Roman numeral in each. Minor keys marked harmonic get the chord from the raised 7th of the harmonic minor scale.
| Key | B♭7 is the |
|---|---|
| E♭ major | V7 |
| E♭ minor (harmonic) | V7 |
| C minor | VII7 |
Progressions to try
V7–I in E♭ major
What a dominant 7th is for: the ♭7 and 3rd pull hard toward the chord a fourth up.
Related chords
Other chords on B♭: