B7 chord on piano
B7 is B, D♯, F♯ and A. B is the white key just right of the group of three black keys. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.
root position · B–D♯–F♯–A · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- B · D♯ · F♯ · A
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7
How to play B7 on piano
Start on B, count 4 half steps up to D♯, 3 half steps up to F♯ then 3 half steps up to A. Press the 4 keys together and that's B7.
- Right hand: 1 on B, 2 on D♯, 3 on F♯ and 5 on A.
- Left hand: 5 on B, 3 on D♯, 2 on F♯ and 1 on A.
- On the keyboard it's white, black, black and white keys.
B7 inversions
- root position: B–D♯–F♯–A. RH 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: D♯–F♯–A–B, with D♯ at the bottom. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: F♯–A–B–D♯, F♯ lowest. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: A–B–D♯–F♯, with A at the bottom. RH 1-2-3-5.
Inversions keep the same notes and change which one is lowest. Moving between chords, pick the inversion that keeps your hand closest to where it already is.
B7 chord changes
These are the changes you'll meet most often with B7, using the first shape of each chord.
- E (the V7 pulls home a fifth below): B7 to E: play E in 2nd inversion (B–E–G♯) and B stays under the same finger, while D♯ moves up to E and A down to G♯. E on piano
- Emaj7 (I in E major): B7 to Emaj7: play Emaj7 in 2nd inversion (B–D♯–E–G♯) and B and D♯ stay under the same fingers, while F♯ moves down to E and A down to G♯. Emaj7 on piano
- C♯m7 (vi in E major): B7 to C♯m7: play C♯m7 in 3rd inversion (B–C♯–E–G♯) and B stays under the same finger, while D♯ moves down to C♯, F♯ down to E and A down to G♯. C♯m7 on piano
B7 is a dominant seventh chord: a major triad with a flattened seventh on top. Use B7 where you want motion: it leans toward the chord a fifth below and turns up on almost every blues. The one-by-one button above makes that quality easy to hear.
A short B7 drill
Roll the chord up and back down, B, D♯, F♯, A, F♯, D♯, B, before playing it as a block. Finish with the inversions in order: B–D♯–F♯–A; D♯–F♯–A–B; F♯–A–B–D♯; A–B–D♯–F♯.
The keys of B7
B7 is a dominant seventh chord, 1–3–5–♭7 from B. Root position, from the bottom: how B7 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | white key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| D♯ | black key | RH 2 · LH 3 | major third |
| F♯ | black key | RH 3 · LH 2 | perfect fifth |
| A | white key | RH 5 · LH 1 | minor seventh |
B7 in context
In B major, I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) on piano is B7 (B–D♯–F♯–A), E7 (E–G♯–B–D) and F♯7 (F♯–A♯–C♯–E). About the 12-bar blues.
In E major, ii–V–I on piano is F♯m7 (F♯–A–C♯–E), B7 (B–D♯–F♯–A) and Emaj7 (E–G♯–B–D♯). About the jazz cadence.
B7 on guitar and ukulele
B7 on guitar and ukulele uses the same 4 notes in a different layout. See all three together.
Related B chords on piano
Other dominant seventh chords
B7 on piano: questions
What notes are in B7 on piano?
B, D♯, F♯ and A: B (white key), D♯ (black key), F♯ (black key) and A (white key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play B7 on piano?
Press B, D♯, F♯ and A together (2 black, 2 white). Right hand: 1 on B, 2 on D♯, 3 on F♯ and 5 on A.
What are the inversions of B7?
1st inversion (D♯–F♯–A–B), 2nd inversion (F♯–A–B–D♯) and 3rd inversion (A–B–D♯–F♯), after root position (B–D♯–F♯–A). Same notes, a different one at the bottom.
What does B7 look like on the keyboard?
white, black, black and white keys.
Every shape above plays only B, D♯, F♯ and A, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.