B flat seventh (Bb7) chord on cavaquinho

Notes: B♭DFA♭
Formula: 135♭7

How to play Bb7 on cavaquinho

Shape 1 · fret 3 · barre
Shape 2 · fret 6 · barre
Shape 3 · fret 8
Shape 4 · fret 3 · barre
Shape 5 · fret 6
Shape 6 · fret 7

no 5th (F)

Some shapes leave out: 5th (F). The caption of each one says what is missing. The 5th is the first to go: it barely changes the sound of the chord.

Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky. x = do not play the string, o = open string. The coloured dot is the root (B flat).

Bb7 inversions on cavaquinho

On the cavaquinho a seventh chord fits whole on the 4 strings, one note on each, and that is how it accompanies in choro. Below are the positions with the root, the 3rd, the 5th and the 7th on the lowest string (in sixth chords the 6th does not go to the bass: that would rename the chord), whenever the position fits the hand.

Root (B♭) in the bassroot position · Bb7
Root (B♭) in the bassroot position · Bb7
3rd (D) in the bass1st inversion · Bb7/D
3rd (D) in the bass1st inversion · Bb7/D
5th (F) in the bass2nd inversion · Bb7/F
7th (A♭) in the bass3rd inversion · Bb7/Ab
7th (A♭) in the bass3rd inversion · Bb7/Ab

About the seventh chord

The dominant seventh chord carries a tension that "wants" to go somewhere: the third and the seventh form a tritone that resolves down a fifth (G7 → C). It is the V chord of any key, the sound of the blues (where every chord can take a seventh) and a staple of country and swing.

Notes and intervals of Bb7

Bb7 (B flat seventh) is built from 4 notes. Each one fills a degree of the chord:

B♭ · 1 · root
D · 3 · major third
F · 5 · perfect fifth
A♭ · ♭7 · minor seventh

Other B flat chords

Seventh: other roots

Chords that go with Bb7

Bb7 is a dominant chord and usually resolves up a perfect fourth, to one of these chords:

Frequently asked questions

How do you play the Bb7 chord on cavaquinho?

Bb7 (B flat seventh) has 6 fingerings on this page, from easiest to hardest. Each diagram shows the fingers, the open strings (o) and the strings you do not play (x), and you can hear every shape.

What notes are in Bb7?

The notes of Bb7 are B♭, D, F, A♭. The formula is 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7: root, major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh.

What does Bb7 mean?

Bb7 is the chord symbol for B flat seventh. The dominant seventh chord carries a tension that "wants" to go somewhere: the third and the seventh form a tritone that resolves down a fifth (G7 → C). It is the V chord of any key, the sound of the blues (where every chord can take a seventh) and a staple of country and swing.

Can I play Bb7 on other instruments?

Yes. Bb7 also has a page on guitar, on ukulele, with the fingerings for each instrument.

Bb7 on other instruments

All cavaquinho chords