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B♭ Minor Major 7th

Minor Major 7th · B♭ – D♭ – F – A · intervals P1-m3-P5-M7

The B♭ Minor Major 7th chord (B♭m(maj7)) contains the notes B♭, D♭, F, and A. Its interval formula is R-m3-P5-M7. A minor triad with a major 7th — eerie and unresolved, the James Bond theme chord.

A♯ Minor Major 7th
This is the same chord as A♯ Minor Major 7th — the same keys on the keyboard, spelled with sharps.

At the keyboard

Bb · Db · F · A
Flashcards · Chord
Three questions on B♭ Minor Major 7th
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B♭m(maj7)

The B♭ Minor Major 7th chord is a four-note chord made up of B♭, D♭, F, and A. It is built from a root, minor third, perfect fifth, and major seventh.

Construction

B♭ Minor Major 7th = Root + Minor 3rd + Perfect 5th + Major 7th = B♭ · D♭ · F · A
NoteIntervalDegree
B♭Root1
D♭Minor 3rd♭3
FPerfect 5th5
AMajor 7th7

B♭ Minor Major 7th Inversions

Bb Minor Major 7th piano chord, 1st inversion — D♭, F, A, B♭
The Bb Minor Major 7th chord, 1st inversion, on a piano keyboard.
Bb Minor Major 7th piano chord, 2nd inversion — F, A, B♭, D♭
The Bb Minor Major 7th chord, 2nd inversion, on a piano keyboard.
Bb Minor Major 7th piano chord, 3rd inversion — A, B♭, D♭, F
The Bb Minor Major 7th chord, 3rd inversion, on a piano keyboard.
PositionNotes
Root PositionB♭ – D♭ – F – A
1st InversionD♭ – F – A – B♭
2nd InversionF – A – B♭ – D♭
3rd InversionA – 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 Bb Minor, which shares the signature of its relative major, Db Major5 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.

BEADGCF

Mnemonic: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’ Father

Chords in the Key of B♭ Minor

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

C1C2C3C4C5FC6C7C8A#C#
iB♭ Minor (minor)
DegreeNumeralChordQuality
1iB♭ MinorMinor
2ii°C DiminishedDiminished
3IIID♭ MajorMajor
4ivE♭ MinorMinor
5vF MinorMinor
6VIG♭ MajorMajor
7VIIA♭ MajorMajor

B♭ Minor Major 7th — Frequently Asked Questions

What is the B♭ Minor Major 7th chord on piano?
The B♭ Minor 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 Minor Major 7th chord?
BbmMaj7 contains: Bb, Db, F, A. Minor triad with major seventh.
How does BbmMaj7 differ from Bbm7?
BbmMaj7 has A (major seventh), Bbm7 has Ab (minor seventh).
How is BbmMaj7 used in music?
Harmonic minor i chord. Jazz, R&B, film scoring.
What songs use Minor Major 7th?
James Bond, My Funny Valentine, Stairway to Heaven pattern.
Why does it sound tense?
Minor third (Db) and major seventh (A) create dissonance.
How does BbmMaj7 differ from Bbmaj7?
BbmMaj7 has minor third (Db). Bbmaj7 has major third (D).

Related Tools

Chord FinderLook up any chord — see the notes, hear it, and play along.Chord DrillTimed drills to build speed and recognition across all chord types.Practice RoomPlug in a MIDI keyboard and get real-time feedback on every chord and scale.Circle of FifthsVisualize key relationships, relative minors, and key signatures.MIDI MonitorLive MIDI message stream with note names, velocity, and a scrolling staff.

References & Further Reading

The note names, intervals, fingering, and harmony on this chord page are grounded in the following sources. Public domain treatises and scores are linked to their full text; primary data is piano.org's own interval-derived reference dataset — continuously maintained and human-verified, with no fixed publication date.

  1. 1

    Prout, Ebenezer(1889)

    Harmony: Its Theory and Practice

    Public domain treatise
  2. 2

    Goetschius, Percy(1889)

    The Material Used in Musical Composition

    Public domain treatise
  3. 3

    Riemann, Hugo(1896)

    Harmony Simplified (English translation)

    Public domain treatise
  4. 4

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Entry reviewed and maintained by Justin Evans. Corrections are read and applied.Report an error

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