Bb7 Chord On The Guitar (B Flat Dominant 7) – Diagrams, Finger Positions and Theory

The Bb7 (B flat dominant 7) chord contains the notes Bb, D, F and Ab. It is produced by taking the root (1), 3, 5 and b7 of the Bb Major scale. It is essentially an Bb chord, with an added flat 7.

Bb7 is most commonly played as a bar chord in the 6th fret (first shape below). B flat 7 is a common chord in Jazz.

Bb7 is short for Bb dominant 7. The dominant 7 chord is a significant chord, because it plays a very important function in any given key.

The dominant 7 chord functions as a chord that resolves to the first chord in a key. For example, the B flat dominant 7 chord resolves to the Eb Major chord (which is the first chord in the key of Eb)

10 Ways To Play The Bb7 Chord

If you’ve come to this page just to view some chord diagrams for Bb7, here they are.

B Flat 7 Chord 10 Shapes

Some Quick B Flat 7 Chord Theory

  • The Bb7 chord contains the notes Bb, D, F and Ab.
  • Bb7 is short for B flat dominant 7.
  • The Bb7 chord is produced by taking the 1 (root), 3, 5 and b7 of the B flat Major scale.
  • The Bb7 is the fifth chord in the key of Db. It resolves naturally to the Eb Major chord.
  • The Bb7 chord (just like all dominant 7 chords) contains the following intervals (starting from the root note): major 3rd, minor 3rd, minor 3rd, tone (which leads back to the root note).
  • The Bb mixolydian mode can be used when soloing over the Ab dominant 7 chord.

Further Reading