B♭7 chord on ukulele

B♭7 is B♭, D, F and A♭. The usual shape is 1-2-1-1. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.

1-2-1-1 · movable · medium

Notes: B♭ · D · F · A♭
Formula: 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7
First shape: 1-2-1-1

How to play B♭7 on ukulele

Shape 1, 1-2-1-1, reading from the G string on the left:

A♭: index finger, 1st fret of the G string.
F: middle finger, 1st fret of the E string.
B♭: ring finger, 1st fret of the A string.
D: pinky finger, 2nd fret of the C string.

The pinky takes a note here. Keep it curved and close to the fretboard between chords so it has less distance to travel.
On ukulele you strum all four strings. The top G string is tuned higher than the C, which is why ukulele chords sound bright and close.

Other ways to play B♭7

7-8-6-8: movable shape at the 6th fret, medium. Use it when the next chord sits nearby on the neck.
10-10-10-11: movable shape at the 10th fret, medium. Up the neck the chord gets thinner and brighter, a good contrast to the open version.

Capo shortcuts for B♭7

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

Changing from B♭7 to the chords around it

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

E♭ (the V7 pulls home a fifth below): B♭7 (1-2-1-1) to E♭ (0-3-3-1): your index finger lands on the A string, 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the C string, 3rd fret, move the ring finger to the E string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Shared note: B♭. E♭ on ukulele
E♭maj7 (I in E♭ major): B♭7 (1-2-1-1) to E♭maj7 (3-3-3-5): move the index finger to the G string, 3rd fret, the middle finger goes to the C string, 3rd fret, your ring finger lands on the E string, 3rd fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. The two chords share B♭ and D, which is why the change sounds smooth. E♭maj7 on ukulele
Cm7 (vi in E♭ major): B♭7 (1-2-1-1) to Cm7 (3-3-3-3): move the index finger to the G string, 3rd fret, your middle finger lands on the C string, 3rd fret, the ring finger goes to the E string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Listen for B♭, which stays put while the rest moves. Cm7 on ukulele

B♭7 is a dominant seventh chord: a major triad with a flattened seventh on top. All 4 notes of B♭7 fit on the ukulele's four strings. The slow arpeggio button above makes that quality easy to hear.

Getting B♭7 under your fingers

Pick shape 1 one string at a time, low to high: A♭, D, F, B♭. Every note should ring clearly; if one thuds, adjust that finger before you strum. Then switch to 7-8-6-8 and back four times without looking at your hand.

Written A♯7, it's the same chord with the same frets.

Keys and progressions with B♭7

In B♭ major, I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) on ukulele is B♭7 (1-2-1-1), E♭7 (3-3-3-4) and F7 (2-3-1-3). About the 12-bar blues.

In E♭ major, ii–V–I on ukulele is Fm7 (1-3-1-3), B♭7 (1-2-1-1) and E♭maj7 (3-3-3-5). About the jazz cadence.

B♭7 on guitar and piano

Switching instruments? Try B♭7 on piano or B♭7 on guitar, or compare them on the B♭7 chord page.

Next to try on ukulele

Other dominant seventh chords

B♭7 on ukulele: questions

What notes are in B♭7 on ukulele?

B♭, D, F and A♭. In the 1-2-1-1 shape the strings play A♭ (G string), D (C string), F (E string) and B♭ (A string).

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

B♭7 has no open-string shape in standard tuning, so every version needs a barre or a stretch. Start with 1-2-1-1. 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 ukulele?

Not usually: 1-2-1-1 needs no barre.

Which string does B♭7 start on?

In the 1-2-1-1 shape the lowest string you play is the G string at the 1st fret, which is A♭, the minor seventh.

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