Chords
Bb Minor seventh
Bb · Db · F · Ab
The minor seventh chord — a minor triad with a minor seventh. The most useful chord in jazz and soul.
Also written Bbmin7 · Bbmi7 · Bb-7
Bb Minor seventh
Bb · Db · F · Ab
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Bb3 · Db4 · F4 · Ab4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | F3 · Bb3 · Db4 · Ab4 | |
| Shell | Bb3 · Db4 · Ab4 | |
| Rootless | Db4 · F4 · Ab4 · C5 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Bb Minor seventh (Bbm7) contains the notes Bb · Db · F · Ab, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords
Inversions
An inversion of Bb Minor seventh puts a chord tone other than Bb in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales Bb Minor seventh belongs to.
In which keys
Bb Minor seventh is diatonic to 6 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
Bb Minor seventh fits inside these scales, each built on Bb.
- Bb Minor PentatonicBb · Db · Eb · F · Ab
- Bb Minor BluesBb · Db · Eb · Fb · F · Ab
- Bb MinorBb · C · Db · Eb · F · Gb · Ab
- Bb DorianBb · C · Db · Eb · F · G · Ab
- Bb PhrygianBb · Cb · Db · Eb · F · Gb · Ab
- Bb Half-Whole DiminishedBb · Cb · Db · D · E · F · G · Ab
- Bb Dorian b2Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · F · G · Ab
- Bb Dorian #4Bb · C · Db · E · F · G · Ab
Understanding the Bb Minor seventh chord
Names and symbols
Bbm7 is the chord symbol for Bb Minor seventh; it is also written Bbmin7, Bbmi7, Bb-7.
Bb Minor seventh and A# Minor seventh are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. A# Minor seventh
How it is built
On Bb it is Bb · Db · F · Ab, stacking 1P · 3m · 5P · 7m. Both added intervals are minor, which keeps the chord dark but soft — there is no tritone inside it, so it carries no obligation to move.
How it is used
It is the ii of a major key and therefore the opening chord of the ii–V–I, the single most common progression in jazz. It is also the i of a modal minor vamp, where its lack of tension is exactly what lets a groove sit still for eight bars.
Soul, R&B and neo-soul lean on it for the same reason: it is rich enough to be interesting and stable enough to loop.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in Bbm7?
- Bbm7 contains Bb · Db · F · Ab. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- What is the difference between m7 and m/maj7?
- The seventh. A minor seventh chord uses a minor seventh; a minor-major seventh raises it to a major seventh, which makes the chord far more tense.
- Where is a minor seventh chord used?
- As the ii of a ii–V–I, as the tonic of a modal minor vamp, and throughout soul and R&B where its stability suits looping.
- What notes are in the Bb Minor seventh chord?
- The Bb Minor seventh chord contains the notes Bb · Db · F · Ab: the root Bb with the intervals 1P, 3m, 5P, 7m stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally Bb, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the Bb Minor seventh chord?
- Measured from Bb, the Bb Minor seventh chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3m, 5P, 7m. The quality of the third and of the seventh, if there is one, is what gives the chord its character; the rest of the notes colour it. Every interval in the formula links to its own page, with its sound.