The B flat Major 7 chord (also written as Bb Maj 7) contains the notes Bb, D, F and A. It is produced by taking the root, 3rd, 5th and 7th of the Bb Major scale. It is essentially a B flat Major chord, with the 7th note of the Major scale added.
The most common way to play the Bb Major 7 chord is with the root note on the 1st fret of the 5th string (second shape in the image below).
The Major 7 chord in general is considered a kind of default chord, as it contains no altered notes of the Major scale (1, 3, 5, 7). It can also be used as a starting point, when figuring out other chords that have the same root note. For example, the Bb minor 7 chord can be produced by lowering the 3rd and 7th of the Bb Major 7 chord.
10 Ways To Play The Bb Major 7 Chord
If you’ve come to this page just to view some chord diagrams for Bb Major 7, here they are.
Some Quick B Flat Major 7 Chord Theory
- The Bb Major 7 chord contains the notes Bb, D, F and A.
- The Bb Major 7 chord is produced by taking the 1 (root), 3, 5 and 7 of the Bb Major scale.
- The B flat Major 7 chord (just like all Major 7 chords) contains the following intervals (starting from the root note): major 3rd, minor 3rd, major 3rd, semitone (which leads back to the root note).
- The B flat Major 7 chord is the first chord in the key of B flat and the fourth chord in the key of F.
- The Bb Major 7 chord works well with the Dbm7 chord (relative minor).
- The Bb Major scale and Bb Lydian mode can be used when soloing over the Bb Major 7 chord.
Further Reading
