B minor seventh (Bm7) chord on cavaquinho
- Notes
- BDF♯A
- Formula
- 1♭35♭7
How to play Bm7 on cavaquinho
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Shape 1 · 1st position
no 5th (F♯)
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Shape 2 · fret 7 · barre
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Shape 3 · fret 9
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Shape 4 · fret 3
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).
Bm7 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 · Bm7
Root (B) in the bassroot position · Bm7
3rd (D) in the bass1st inversion · Bm7/D
3rd (D) in the bass1st inversion · Bm7/D
5th (F♯) in the bass2nd inversion · Bm7/F#
5th (F♯) in the bass2nd inversion · Bm7/F#
7th (A) in the bass3rd inversion · Bm7/A
7th (A) in the bass3rd inversion · Bm7/A
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 Bm7
Bm7 (B 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 chords
Minor seventh: other roots
Chords that go with Bm7
As the ii of a ii–V–I, Bm7 leads up a fourth to the dominant and lands on the major seventh chord:
Frequently asked questions
How do you play the Bm7 chord on cavaquinho?
Bm7 (B minor seventh) has 4 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 Bm7?
The notes of Bm7 are B, D, F♯, A. The formula is 1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7: root, minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh.
What does Bm7 mean?
Bm7 is the chord symbol for B 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 Bm7 on other instruments?
Yes. Bm7 also has a page on guitar, on ukulele, with the fingerings for each instrument.