B♭m(maj7): A♯/B♭ Minor 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♭	Minor third	3
5	F	Perfect fifth	7
7	A	Major seventh	11

Construction

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

Note	Interval	Degree
B♭	Root	1
D♭	Minor 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♭	black	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♭ Minor Major 7th Inversions

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

Key Signature

A chord has no key signature of its own, but the B♭ Minor Major 7th is the tonic (i) chord of B♭ Minor, which shares the signature of its relative major, D♭ Major: 5 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭).

B♭E♭A♭D♭G♭

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♭ Minor

These are the triads built on each degree of B♭ Minor:

i — B♭ Minor (minor)

Degree	Numeral	Chord	Quality
1	i	B♭ Minor	Minor
2	ii°	C Diminished	Diminished
3	III	D♭ Major	Major
4	iv	E♭ Minor	Minor
5	v	F Minor	Minor
6	VI	G♭ Major	Major
7	VII	A♭ Major	Major

Looking for B♭m7? See the B♭ minor 7th piano chord.

B♭ Minor Major 7th : Frequently Asked Questions

What notes are in B♭mMaj7?

B♭mMaj7 contains B♭, D♭, F and A. The formula is 1, ♭3, 5, 7.

How do you play B♭mMaj7 on piano?

Play B♭, D♭, F and A together. Right hand fingers 2, 3, 4, 5; left hand 5, 4, 3, 2. B♭ and D♭ are black keys; F and A are white.

What are the inversions of B♭mMaj7?

4 positions: root position B♭ D♭ F A, B♭mMaj7/D♭, B♭mMaj7/F, B♭mMaj7/A.

What is the difference between B♭mMaj7 and B♭m?

Drops A. 3 of the notes are shared.

What is an easy B♭mMaj7 for small hands?

The close, second inversion voicing, F4 A4 B♭4 D♭5, spans 8 semitones or about 110 mm.

What are the frequencies of B♭mMaj7?

From B♭3 at A440 in 12-TET: 233.08, 277.18, 349.23, 440.00 Hz.

What is the set class of B♭mMaj7?

Prime form (0148), Forte 4-19, interval vector <101310>.

How do I transpose B♭mMaj7 to another key?

Keep the 1, ♭3, 5, 7 formula on the new root. CmMaj7 is C, E♭, G, B; C♯mMaj7 is C♯, E, G♯, B♯.

Is A♯mMaj7 the same as B♭mMaj7?

Enharmonically yes: the same piano keys and the same sound, spelled differently.

B♭ Minor 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 D♭4 F4 A4	11	151 mm	none	identical
Close, first inversion	D♭4 F4 A4 B♭4	9	124 mm	none	identical
Close, second inversion	F4 A4 B♭4 D♭5	8	110 mm	none	identical
Close, third inversion	A4 B♭4 D♭5 F5	8	110 mm	none	identical
Drop 2	F3 B♭3 D♭4 A4	16	220 mm	none	identical
Drop 3	D♭3 B♭3 F4 A4	20	275 mm	none	identical
Drop 2 and 4	B♭2 F3 D♭4 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 D♭4	15	206 mm	omits F	subset
Guide tones, ♭3 and 7	D♭4 A4	8	110 mm	omits B♭ and F	subset
Rootless close	D♭4 F4 A4	8	110 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, D♭4, F4, A4	7	11	151 mm
First inversion: B♭mMaj7/D♭	D♭	D♭4, F4, A4, B♭4	6/5	9	124 mm
Second inversion: B♭mMaj7/F	F	F4, A4, B♭4, D♭5	4/3	8	110 mm
Third inversion: B♭mMaj7/A	A	A4, B♭4, D♭5, F5	4/2	8	110 mm

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

Change one note

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

Chord	Change	Formula	Common tones
B♭m	drops A	1 ♭3 5	3
B♭maj7	D♭ becomes D	1 3 5 7	3
B♭m7	A becomes A♭	1 ♭3 5 ♭7	3
B♭m6	A becomes G	1 ♭3 5 6	3
B♭maj9	D♭ becomes D, C	1 3 5 7 9	3
B♭m9	A becomes A♭, C	1 ♭3 5 ♭7 9	3
B♭	D♭, A becomes D	1 3 5	2
B♭dim	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♭7	D♭, A becomes D, A♭	1 3 5 ♭7	2
B♭m7♭5	F, A becomes F♭, A♭	1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7	2

Frequencies

Note	MIDI	Frequency
B♭3	58	233.08 Hz
D♭4	61	277.18 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, 1, 5, 9}
Normal order: [9, 10, 1, 5]
Prime form: (0148)
Forte number: 4-19
Interval vector: <101310>

Pair	Interval	Semitones	Interval class
B♭ to D♭	Minor third	3	3
B♭ to F	Perfect fifth	7	5
B♭ to A	Major seventh	11	1
D♭ to F	Major third	4	4
D♭ to A	Minor sixth	8	4
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 minor 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♭ Minor Major 7th

Fingerings

B♭ Minor Major 7th: notes and degrees