B♭ minor 7 (B♭m7)
Also called A♯ minor 7 (A♯m7).
A minor chord with an added minor seventh. Softer than a plain minor chord, and common in soul, funk and jazz.
There’s no open shape: it’s played as a barre chord, starting at the 1st fret. It’s the home chord of the key of B♭ minor; in major keys, you’ll find it in D♭ major, A♭ major and F♯ major.
- Notes:
- B♭, D♭, F, A♭.
- Formula:
- 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7.
- Difficulty:
- Intermediate.
- Strings played:
- 5 (from the A string).
Chord diagram
e|--1--| B|--2--| G|--1--| D|--3--| A|--1--| E|--x--|
Other positions
e|--6--| B|--6--| G|--6--| D|--6--| A|--8--| E|--6--|
Capo tip: put the capo at the 1st fret and play the A minor 7 shape: you hear B♭ minor 7, with no barre.The capo
Often played with
The chords in its key, the ones you hear most often around B♭ minor 7.
e|--6--| B|--8--| G|--6--| D|--8--| A|--6--| E|--x--|
E♭7V of the key
e|--x--| B|--4--| G|--5--| D|--5--| A|--x--| E|--4--|
A♭ major 7I of the key
e|--1--| B|--1--| G|--1--| D|--1--| A|--3--| E|--1--|