B♭7 chord on piano
B♭7 is B♭, D, F and A♭. B♭ sits on the last black key of the group of three. Play it once at full speed, then at a quarter to hear every note.
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 B♭7 on piano
From B♭, go 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 B♭7.
- 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 black, white, white and black keys.
B♭7 inversions
- root position: B♭–D–F–A♭. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: D–F–A♭–B♭, with D at the bottom. RH 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: F–A♭–B♭–D (F in the bass). RH 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: A♭–B♭–D–F, A♭ lowest. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
Use the inversions to stay put: the next chord is often one inversion away from where your hand already is, as the changes below show.
Moving between B♭7 and its neighbours
Songs rarely hold B♭7 for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.
- E♭ (the V7 pulls home a fifth below): B♭7 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
- E♭maj7 (I in E♭ major): B♭7 to E♭maj7: play E♭maj7 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. E♭maj7 on piano
- Cm7 (vi in E♭ major): B♭7 to Cm7: play Cm7 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. Cm7 on piano
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 piano you hear it best with the keys pressed together, then rolled.
A short B♭7 drill
Play B♭7 broken, one key at a time: B♭, D, F, A♭, F, D, B♭. Then press the keys together and check that all 4 sound at the same volume. 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 B♭7
B♭7 is a dominant seventh chord, 1–3–5–♭7 from B♭. Root position, from the bottom: how B♭7 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| B♭ | black key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| D | white key | RH 2 · LH 3 | major third |
| F | white key | RH 3 · LH 2 | perfect fifth |
| A♭ | black key | RH 5 · LH 1 | minor seventh |
Written A♯7, it's the same chord with the same keys.
Keys and progressions with B♭7
In B♭ major, I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) on piano is B♭7 (B♭–D–F–A♭), E♭7 (E♭–G–B♭–D♭) and F7 (F–A–C–E♭). About the 12-bar blues.
In E♭ major, ii–V–I on piano is Fm7 (F–A♭–C–E♭), B♭7 (B♭–D–F–A♭) and E♭maj7 (E♭–G–B♭–D). About the jazz cadence.
B♭7 on guitar and ukulele
B♭7 on guitar and ukulele uses the same 4 notes in a different layout. See all three together.
Next to try on piano
Other dominant seventh chords
B♭7 on piano: questions
What notes are in B♭7 on piano?
B♭, D, F and A♭: B♭ (black key), D (white key), F (white key) and A♭ (black key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play B♭7 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 B♭7?
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♭). Each keeps all the notes of the chord.
What does B♭7 look like on the keyboard?
black, white, white and black keys.
Every shape above plays only B♭, D, F and A♭, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.