Chords › B♭ major 7
B Flat Major 7 Chord on Guitar
- B♭maj7
- B♭ · D · F · A
- Barre at fret 1
- Also written A♯maj7
A-shape barre
B flat major 7, written B♭maj7, is a major seventh chord: a major chord with the major seventh added, for a soft, open sound. B♭maj7 has no open shape, so it is usually played as an A-shape barre chord at the 1st fret.
How to play B♭maj7, finger by finger
- Lay your index finger flat across strings 5 to 1 at the 1st fret.
- Put your middle finger on string 3 at the 2nd fret.
- Put your ring finger on string 4 at the 3rd fret.
- Put your pinky finger on string 2 at the 3rd fret.
- Strum from string 5 down to string 1, and don't play string 6.
More ways to play B♭maj7
Notes in B♭ major 7
| Note | Interval | Role |
|---|---|---|
| B♭ | 1 | root |
| D | 3 | major third |
| F | 5 | fifth |
| A | 7 | major seventh |
Formula: 1 – 3 – 5 – 7
Questions about B♭maj7
What notes are in B♭maj7?
B♭, D, F and A. Those are the 1, 3, 5, 7 of the chord, counted from B♭.
Which strings do I strum for B♭maj7?
Start on string 5 and strum down to string 1.
Is B♭maj7 the same as A♯maj7?
Yes, on guitar they are played the same way and sound the same. B flat and A sharp are two names for one note: songs in sharp keys write A♯, songs in flat keys write B♭.
Related chords
Often played with B♭maj7
Other major 7 chords