B♭maj7 chord on piano
B♭maj7 is B♭, D, F and A. You'll find B♭ 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♭maj7 on piano
Start on B♭, count 4 half steps up to D, 3 half steps up to F then 4 half steps up to A. Those 4 keys are B♭maj7.
- 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 white keys.
B♭maj7 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.
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.
Changing from B♭maj7 to the chords around it
Songs rarely hold B♭maj7 for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.
- E♭maj7 (IV in B♭ major): B♭maj7 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
- F7 (V in B♭ major): B♭maj7 to F7: play F7 in 2nd inversion (C–E♭–F–A) and F and A stay under the same fingers, while B♭ moves up to C and D up to E♭. F7 on piano
- Gm7 (vi in B♭ major): B♭maj7 to Gm7: play Gm7 in 1st inversion (B♭–D–F–G) and B♭, D and F stay under the same fingers, while A moves down to G. Gm7 on piano
B♭maj7 is a major seventh chord: a major triad with the note a half step below the octave added. B♭maj7 works as a relaxed home chord; swap it in for plain B♭ at the end of a phrase. On piano you hear it best with the keys pressed together, then rolled.
A short B♭maj7 drill
Play B♭maj7 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♭maj7
B♭maj7 is a major seventh chord, 1–3–5–7 from B♭. Root position, from the bottom: how B♭maj7 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 | white key | RH 5 · LH 1 | major seventh |
Written A♯maj7, it's the same chord with the same keys.
Keys and progressions with B♭maj7
In B♭ major, ii–V–I on piano is Cm7 (C–E♭–G–B♭), F7 (F–A–C–E♭) and B♭maj7 (B♭–D–F–A). About the jazz cadence.
B♭maj7 on guitar and ukulele
Switching instruments? Try B♭maj7 on ukulele or B♭maj7 on guitar, or compare them on the B♭maj7 chord page.
Next to try on piano
Other major seventh chords
B♭maj7 on piano: questions
What notes are in B♭maj7 on piano?
B♭, D, F and A: B♭ (black key), D (white key), F (white key) and A (white key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play B♭maj7 on piano?
Press B♭, D, F and A together (1 black, 3 white). Right hand: 1 on B♭, 2 on D, 3 on F and 5 on A.
What are the inversions of B♭maj7?
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 B♭maj7 look like on the keyboard?
black, white, white and white keys.
Every shape above plays only B♭, D, F and A, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.