B flat minor seventh (Bbm7) chord on cavaquinho

Notes: B♭D♭FA♭
Formula: 1♭35♭7

How to play Bbm7 on cavaquinho

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

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).

Bbm7 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 · Bbm7
Root (B♭) in the bassroot position · Bbm7
3rd (D♭) in the bass1st inversion · Bbm7/Db
5th (F) in the bass2nd inversion · Bbm7/F
7th (A♭) in the bass3rd inversion · Bbm7/Ab
7th (A♭) in the bass3rd inversion · Bbm7/Ab

About the minor seventh chord

A minor chord with a seventh: less dramatic than a plain minor, and softer. It is the ii of the ii–V–I progression (Dm7 → G7 → Cmaj7), found in jazz, bossa, soul and funk; in pop it often replaces the simple minor chord without anyone noticing.

Notes and intervals of Bbm7

Bbm7 (B flat minor seventh) is built from 4 notes. Each one fills a degree of the chord:

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

Other B flat chords

Minor seventh: other roots

Chords that go with Bbm7

As the ii of a ii–V–I, Bbm7 leads up a fourth to the dominant and lands on the major seventh chord:

Frequently asked questions

How do you play the Bbm7 chord on cavaquinho?

Bbm7 (B flat minor 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 Bbm7?

The notes of Bbm7 are B♭, D♭, F, A♭. The formula is 1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7: root, minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh.

What does Bbm7 mean?

Bbm7 is the chord symbol for B flat minor seventh. A minor chord with a seventh: less dramatic than a plain minor, and softer. It is the ii of the ii–V–I progression (Dm7 → G7 → Cmaj7), found in jazz, bossa, soul and funk; in pop it often replaces the simple minor chord without anyone noticing.

Can I play Bbm7 on other instruments?

Yes. Bbm7 also has a page on guitar, on ukulele, with the fingerings for each instrument.

Bbm7 on other instruments

All cavaquinho chords