B♭maj7: A♯/B♭ Major 7th Piano Chord

Root position: either hand, fingers low note to high
Hand	Notes	Fingers
Right	B♭, D, F, A	2-3-4-5
Left	B♭, D, F, A	5-4-3-2

Scale degree, note, and interval measured from the root.
Degree	Note	Interval from root	Semitones
1	B♭	Perfect unison	0
3	D	Major third	4
5	F	Perfect fifth	7
7	A	Major seventh	11

Construction

B♭ Major 7th = Root + Major 3rd + Perfect 5th + Major 7th = B♭, D, F, A

Note	Interval	Degree
B♭	Root	1
D	Major 3rd	3
F	Perfect 5th	5
A	Major 7th	7

Fingering

Note	Key color	Right hand	Left hand
B♭	black	index finger (2)	little finger (5)
D	white	middle finger (3)	ring finger (4)
F	white	ring finger (4)	middle finger (3)
A	white	little finger (5)	index finger (2)

Right hand: index finger (2) on B♭, middle finger (3) on D, ring finger (4) on F, little finger (5) on A.

Left hand: little finger (5) on B♭, ring finger (4) on D, middle finger (3) on F, index finger (2) on A.

B♭ Major 7th Inversions

Root position
B♭ – D – F – A
1st inversion (B♭maj7/D)
D – F – A – B♭
2nd inversion (B♭maj7/F)
F – A – B♭ – D
3rd inversion (B♭maj7/A)
A – B♭ – D – F

Key Signature

A chord has no key signature of its own, but the B♭ Major 7th is the tonic (I) chord of Bb Major, whose key signature has 2 flats (B♭, E♭).

B♭E♭

Order of flats

Flats are added in a fixed order — the reverse of the sharp order. Each new flat key adds the next flat on the list.

B♭E♭A♭D♭G♭C♭F♭

Mnemonic: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’ Father

Chords in the Key of B♭ Major 7th

These are the triads built on each degree of the B♭ Major 7th:

I — B♭ Major (major)

Degree	Numeral	Chord	Quality
1	I	B♭ Major	Major
2	ii	C Minor	Minor
3	iii	D Minor	Minor
4	IV	E♭ Major	Major
5	V	F Major	Major
6	vi	G Minor	Minor
7	vii°	A Diminished	Diminished

How B♭ Major 7th functions in a key

The same chord takes on a different harmonic role depending on the key it appears in. Here is where B♭ Major 7th sits diatonically across the common keys:

In B♭ major, B♭ Major 7th is the I chord — the tonic.
In D minor, B♭ Major 7th is the VI chord — the tonic.
In F major, B♭ Major 7th is the IV chord — a predominant.
In G minor, B♭ Major 7th is the III chord — a mediant / color chord.

B♭ Major 7th : Frequently Asked Questions

What is the B♭ Major 7th chord on piano?

The B♭ Major 7th chord contains the notes B♭ – D – F – A. On piano, play these notes together to sound the chord.

What notes are in the Bb Major 7th chord?

The Bb Major 7th chord (Bbmaj7) contains four notes: Bb (root), D (major third), F (perfect fifth), and A (major seventh). The major seventh gives this chord its warm, dreamy, resolved quality.

How does Bb Major 7th differ from Bb Dominant 7th?

Both contain Bb, D, and F. The difference is the seventh: Bbmaj7 has A (major seventh) while Bb7 has Ab (minor seventh). Bbmaj7 sounds lush and settled; Bb7 sounds tense and drives toward Eb Major.

How is Bb Major 7th used in music?

Bbmaj7 is the I chord in jazz harmony in Bb Major: one of the most common jazz keys. It is also the IV chord in F Major. Bbmaj7 appears constantly in jazz standards, big band, and brass-heavy arrangements since Bb is the natural key for many wind instruments.

What genres commonly use Major 7th chords?

Major 7th chords are foundational in jazz, bossa nova, neo-soul, R&B, city pop, and lo-fi hip-hop. They also appear in classical impressionism and sophisticated pop. The dreamy quality is a signature of harmonically rich music.

What songs use Major 7th chords?

Major 7th chords appear in The Girl from Ipanema (Jobim), Don't Know Why (Norah Jones), and countless jazz standards. Bbmaj7 appears in many jazz standards since Bb is one of the most common keys in the jazz repertoire.

Can I substitute Bb Major 7th for Bb Major?

Yes: Bbmaj7 can replace Bb Major for added colour and warmth. The exception is when the melody sits on Bb, since the A–Bb semitone can clash. In jazz contexts, Bbmaj7 is almost always preferred over a plain Bb triad.

B♭ Major 7th in detail

Exact

Every pitch class is present and nothing outside the chord is added.

Type	Notes	Semitones	Span	Omissions and additions	Set relation
Close, root position	B♭3 D4 F4 A4	11	151 mm	none	identical
Close, first inversion	D4 F4 A4 B♭4	8	110 mm	none	identical
Close, second inversion	F4 A4 B♭4 D5	9	124 mm	none	identical
Close, third inversion	A4 B♭4 D5 F5	8	110 mm	none	identical
Drop 2	F3 B♭3 D4 A4	16	220 mm	none	identical
Drop 3	D3 B♭3 F4 A4	19	261 mm	none	identical
Drop 2 and 4	B♭2 F3 D4 A4	23	316 mm	none	identical

Reduced

A subset of the pitch classes: the identity is incomplete rather than altered.

Type	Notes	Semitones	Span	Omissions and additions	Set relation
Shell, root 7 3	B♭2 A3 D4	16	220 mm	omits F	subset
Guide tones, 3 and 7	D4 A4	7	96 mm	omits B♭ and F	subset
Rootless close	D4 F4 A4	7	96 mm	omits B♭	subset

Spans are measured centre to centre at a 165 mm octave (standard keyboard geometry).

Position	Bass note	Notes in order	Figured bass	Semitones	Span
Root position	B♭	B♭3, D4, F4, A4	7	11	151 mm
First inversion: B♭maj7/D	D	D4, F4, A4, B♭4	6/5	8	110 mm
Second inversion: B♭maj7/F	F	F4, A4, B♭4, D5	4/3	9	124 mm
Third inversion: B♭maj7/A	A	A4, B♭4, D5, F5	4/2	8	110 mm

One position per chord tone in the bass. Spans are for close position: voiced inversions appear under Voicings.

Progression	Key	Role	Sequence	Voice leading
♭VI, iv, i, v	D minor	♭VImaj7	B♭maj7 to Gm7 to Dm7 to Am7	B♭maj7 opens the phrase
i, ♭VI	D minor	♭VImaj7	Dm7 to B♭maj7	3 tones held from Dm7
IV, V, I	F major	IVmaj7	B♭maj7 to C7 to Fmaj7	B♭maj7 opens the phrase
I, IV	F major	IVmaj7	Fmaj7 to B♭maj7	2 tones held from Fmaj7
♭III, ♭VI, ii, v	G minor	♭IIImaj7	B♭maj7 to E♭maj7 to Am7♭5 to Dm7	B♭maj7 opens the phrase
i, ♭III	G minor	♭IIImaj7	Gm7 to B♭maj7	3 tones held from Gm7
ii, V, I	B♭ major	Imaj7	Cm7 to F7 to B♭maj7	2 tones held from F7
IV, I	B♭ major	Imaj7	E♭maj7 to B♭maj7	2 tones held from E♭maj7
I, vi, ii, V	B♭ major	Imaj7	B♭maj7 to Gm7 to Cm7 to F7	B♭maj7 opens the phrase

Root motion, common tones and voice displacement are computed from pitch class sets. Roman numerals follow common practice functional harmony.

Which keys it belongs to

Key	Roman numeral	Function
D minor	♭VImaj7	Pre-dominant colour
F major	IVmaj7	Subdominant, away from home
G minor	♭IIImaj7	Relative-major colour
B♭ major	Imaj7	Tonic, home

Classification system: common-practice functional harmony.

Change one note

Chords a single note away, and what moving that note does.

Chord	Change	Formula	Common tones
B♭maj9	adds C	1 3 5 7 9	4
B♭	drops A	1 3 5	3
B♭7	A becomes A♭	1 3 5 ♭7	3
B♭mMaj7	D becomes D♭	1 ♭3 5 7	3
B♭6	A becomes G	1 3 5 6	3
B♭add9	A becomes C	1 3 5 9	3
B♭9	A becomes A♭, C	1 3 5 ♭7 9	3
B♭m	D, A becomes D♭	1 ♭3 5	2
B♭aug	F, A becomes F♯	1 3 ♯5	2
B♭sus2	D, A becomes C	1 2 5	2
B♭sus4	D, A becomes E♭	1 4 5	2
B♭m7	D, A becomes D♭, A♭	1 ♭3 5 ♭7	2

Frequencies

Note	MIDI	Frequency
B♭3	58	233.08 Hz
D4	62	293.66 Hz
F4	65	349.23 Hz
A4	69	440.00 Hz

Reference pitch A440, 12-TET, close root position.

Set theory: prime form, Forte number, interval vector

Absolute pitch class set: {10, 2, 5, 9}
Normal order: [9, 10, 2, 5]
Prime form: (0158)
Forte number: 4-20
Interval vector: <101220>

Pair	Interval	Semitones	Interval class
B♭ to D	Major third	4	4
B♭ to F	Perfect fifth	7	5
B♭ to A	Major seventh	11	1
D to F	Minor third	3	3
D to A	Perfect fifth	7	5
F to A	Major third	4	4

Where these facts come from

Every value on this page is derived from the note formula for a major 7th applied to the root B♭, using standard music theory. Nothing here is hand-entered per chord, so the notes, intervals, inversions and frequencies cannot drift out of agreement with each other. Pitches assume 12-TET at A440.

B♭ Major 7th

Fingerings

B♭ Major 7th: notes and degrees