B flat seventh (Bb7) chord on ukulele
- Notes
- B♭DFA♭
- Formula
- 135♭7
How to play Bb7 on ukulele
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Shape 1 · fret 1
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Shape 2 · fret 3
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Shape 3 · fret 6
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Shape 4 · fret 10 · barre
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 ukulele
The same Bb7 with another chord note in the bass (the lowest note that sounds). The notes stay the same, but the colour changes, and the bass line can move by step from one chord to the next. In a chord symbol, the bass comes after the slash.
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
- Bb
- Bbm
- Bb7
- Bb7M
- Bbm7
- Bbm7(b5)
- Bb°
- Bb°7
- Bb+
- Bbsus2
- Bbsus4
- Bb7sus4
- Bb5
- Bbadd9
- Bb6
- Bbm6
- Bb9
- Bbm(add9)
- Bbm9
- Bb7M(9)
- Bbm(7M)
- Bb7M(#5)
- Bb7(b9)
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 ukulele?
Bb7 (B flat 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 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 cavaquinho, with the fingerings for each instrument.