B Major 7 Chord On The Guitar (B Maj 7) – Diagrams, Finger Positions and Theory

The B Major 7 chord (also written as B Maj 7) contains the notes B, D#, F# and A#. It is produced by taking the root, 3rd, 5th and 7th of the B Major scale. It is essentially a B Major chord, with the 7th note of the Major scale added.

The B Major 7 chord is quite a popular chord. It is most commonly played with the root note on the 2nd fret of the 5th string. It is also commonly played with the root note on the 7th fret of the 6th string.

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 B as a root note. For example, the B minor 7 chord can be produced by lowering the 3rd and 7th of the B Major 7 chord.

10 Ways To Play The B Major 7 Chord

If you’ve come to this page just to view some chord diagrams for B Major 7, here they are.

B Major 7 Chord 10 Shapes

Some Quick B Major 7 Chord Theory

  • The B Major 7 chord contains the notes B, D#, F# and A#.
  • The B Major 7 chord is produced by taking the 1 (root), 3, 5 and 7 of the B Major scale.
  • The B 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 Major 7 chord is the first chord in the key of B and the fourth chord in the key of F#.
  • The B Major 7 chord works well with the G#m7 chord (relative minor).
  • The B Major scale and B Lydian mode can be used when soloing over the B Major 7 chord.

Further Reading

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