Chords
Bb Minor/major seventh
Bb · Db · F · A
The minor-major seventh — a minor triad with a major seventh. Tense, unsettled and cinematic.
Also written Bbm/ma7 · Bbm/maj7 · BbmM7 · Bbm/M7 · Bb-Δ7 · BbmΔ · Bb-^7 · Bb-maj7
Bb Minor/major seventh
Bb · Db · F · A
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Bb3 · Db4 · F4 · A4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | F3 · Bb3 · Db4 · A4 | |
| Shell | Bb3 · Db4 · A4 | |
| Rootless | Db4 · F4 · A4 · C5 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Bb Minor/major seventh (BbmMaj7) contains the notes Bb · Db · F · A, 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/major 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/major seventh belongs to.
In which keys
Bb Minor/major seventh is diatonic to 2 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
Bb Minor/major seventh fits inside these scales, each built on Bb.
- Bb Melodic MinorBb · C · Db · Eb · F · G · A
- Bb Harmonic MinorBb · C · Db · Eb · F · Gb · A
- Bb Minor HexatonicBb · C · Db · Eb · F · A
- Bb AugmentedBb · C# · D · F · F# · A
- Bb Augmented HeptatonicBb · C# · D · Eb · F · F# · A
- Bb Lydian DiminishedBb · C · Db · E · F · G · A
- Bb BalineseBb · Cb · Db · Eb · F · Gb · A
- Bb Neapolitan MajorBb · Cb · Db · Eb · F · G · A
Understanding the Bb Minor/major seventh chord
Names and symbols
BbmMaj7 is the chord symbol for Bb Minor/major seventh; it is also written Bbm/ma7, Bbm/maj7, BbmM7, Bbm/M7, Bb-Δ7, BbmΔ, Bb-^7, Bb-maj7.
mMaj7, m/maj7, mΔ7, −Δ7 and mM7 all mean the minor-major seventh: a minor triad with a major seventh. Every spelling tries to say both qualities at once.
How it is built
On Bb it is Bb · Db · F · A, stacking 1P · 3m · 5P · 7M. A minor triad with a major seventh on top: the darkness of minor against the near-octave brightness of the major seventh.
How it is used
It is the tonic chord of the harmonic minor scale, which is why it sounds simultaneously classical and unstable. Film composers use it for unease that has not yet become alarm; it is the James Bond chord.
In a descending line cliché — i, i/maj7, i7, i6 — it is the second step, where the root stays put and the inner voice falls chromatically.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in BbmMaj7?
- BbmMaj7 contains Bb · Db · F · A. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- What scale fits a minor-major seventh chord?
- The harmonic minor and the melodic minor, both of which contain a minor third and a raised seventh.
- Why does it sound so tense?
- The major seventh sits a semitone below the root while the minor third darkens the triad. The two pull in different directions at once.
- What notes are in the Bb Minor/major seventh chord?
- The Bb Minor/major seventh chord contains the notes Bb · Db · F · A: 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/major seventh chord?
- Measured from Bb, the Bb Minor/major 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.