B♭7 chord on guitar

B♭7 is B♭, D, F and A♭. The usual shape is x-1-3-1-3-1, a barre at the 1st fret. Tap Play, then slow it down.

x-1-3-1-3-1 · barre · hard

Notes: B♭ · D · F · A♭
Formula: 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7
First shape: x-1-3-1-3-1

How to play B♭7 on guitar

Shape 1, x-1-3-1-3-1, reading from the low E string on the left:

Barre the 1st fret with your index finger, covering the 5 strings from the A string to the high E string.
Put your middle finger on the D string at the 3rd fret, which is F.
Put your ring finger on the B string at the 3rd fret, which is D.
Skip the low E string and begin the strum from the A string.

First-fret barres feel impossible at first. Practice the same shape at the 5th fret, where it is easier, then walk it down one fret a day.

Other ways to play B♭7

x-1-3-1-3-x: movable shape, medium. Only the thinner strings sound, which cuts through a band without getting muddy.
6-8-6-7-6-6: barre shape at the 6th fret, medium. Root on the 6th string: move it up or down and it names a different dominant seventh chord.
x-13-15-13-15-13: barre shape at the 13th fret, medium. Root on the 5th string, so it pairs well with the 6th-string shape a few frets away.

Playing B♭7 with a capo

With a capo you can skip the harder shapes: capo on the 1st fret and play the open A7 shape (x-0-2-0-2-0), capo on the 3rd fret and play the open G7 shape (3-2-0-0-0-1) or capo on the 6th fret and play the open E7 shape (0-2-0-1-0-0). Everything above the capo is fingered exactly like the open chord.

Moving between B♭7 and its neighbours

The chords B♭7 usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.

E♭ (the V7 pulls home a fifth below): B♭7 (x-1-3-1-3-1) to E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3): your index finger lands on the D string, 1st fret, the middle finger slides across to the G string at the same fret, the ring finger slides across to the high E string at the same fret, the pinky finger comes down on the B string, 4th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. B♭ carries over from one chord to the other. E♭ on guitar
E♭maj7 (I in E♭ major): B♭7 (x-1-3-1-3-1) to E♭maj7 (x-x-1-3-3-3): your ring finger stays put, move the index finger to the D string, 1st fret, the middle finger slides across to the G string at the same fret, the pinky finger comes down on the high E string, 3rd fret. Listen for B♭ and D, which stay put while the rest moves. E♭maj7 on guitar
Cm7 (vi in E♭ major): B♭7 (x-1-3-1-3-1) to Cm7 (x-3-5-3-4-3): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 3rd fret, your middle finger lands on the B string, 4th fret, the ring finger goes to the D string, 5th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Shared note: B♭. Cm7 on guitar

B♭7 is a dominant seventh chord: a major triad with a flattened seventh on top. Use B♭7 where you want motion: it leans toward the chord a fifth below and turns up on almost every blues. On guitar you hear it best picked slowly, string by string.

Practice B♭7 in two minutes

Before strumming, play x-1-3-1-3-1 note by note: B♭ then F then A♭ then D then F. A dead note tells you exactly which finger to fix. Finish by moving between x-1-3-1-3-1 and x-1-3-1-3-x to learn two positions of the same chord.

A♯7 is another spelling of B♭7. Same shape, same sound.

Keys and progressions with B♭7

In B♭ major, I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) on guitar is B♭7 (x-1-3-1-3-1), E♭7 (x-x-1-3-2-3) and F7 (1-3-1-2-1-1). About the 12-bar blues.

In E♭ major, ii–V–I on guitar is Fm7 (1-3-1-1-1-1), B♭7 (x-1-3-1-3-1) and E♭maj7 (x-x-1-3-3-3). About the jazz cadence.

B♭7 on piano and ukulele

B♭7 on piano and ukulele uses the same 4 notes in a different layout. See all three together.

Close to B♭7

Other dominant seventh chords

B♭7 on guitar: questions

What notes are in B♭7 on guitar?

B♭, D, F and A♭. In the x-1-3-1-3-1 shape the strings play B♭ (A string), F (D string), A♭ (G string), D (B string) and F (high E string), so F is doubled.

What's the easiest way to play B♭7 on guitar?

In standard tuning B♭7 can't use open strings. Begin with x-1-3-1-3-x. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and in many songs a capo can take over part of the work.

Is B♭7 a barre chord on guitar?

Usually, yes. x-1-3-1-3-1 has your index finger across the 1st fret. If that's hard, try x-1-3-1-3-x.

Which string does B♭7 start on?

In the x-1-3-1-3-1 shape the lowest string you play is the A string at the 1st fret, which is B♭, the root. Skip the low E string.

Shapes and sound are generated from the notes B♭, D, F and A♭ and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.