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B♭ Minor 7th Guitar Chord (B♭m7)

B♭ minor 7th is a four-note chord built from B♭ (the root), D♭ (the minor third), F (the perfect fifth), and A♭ (the minor seventh). It blends minor-key melancholy with seventh-chord smoothness — think slow-jam ballads, bossa novas, and late-night jazz comping. Below are 4 ways to play it in standard tuning, easiest shape first.

B♭m7 chord shapes — standard tuning

open string × muted / not played 1–4 suggested finger 3fr shape starts at fret 3 R · 3 · 5 · ♭7 chord tone each string sounds
B♭m7 guitar chord diagram, Barre · 1fr, frets x-1-3-1-2-1×1R35♭72♭35
Barre · 1fr
x-1-3-1-2-1
B♭m7 guitar chord diagram, 3fr, frets 6-4-6-3-x-x3fr3R2♭34♭71R××
3fr
6-4-6-3-x-x
B♭m7 guitar chord diagram, Barre · 6fr, frets 6-8-6-6-6-66fr1R25♭7♭35R
Barre · 6fr
6-8-6-6-6-6
B♭m7 guitar chord diagram, 8fr, frets x-x-8-10-9-98fr××1R452♭73♭3
8fr
x-x-8-10-9-9

How to play it

Lay your index finger flat across the top 5 strings (from the A (5th) string up) at fret 1 — that barre is the backbone of this B♭m7 shape. Then add your middle finger on the B (2nd) string at fret 2 and your ring finger on the D (4th) string at fret 3. Keep the low E (6th) string out of the strum — start your downstroke from the A (5th) string.

Once that shape is comfortable, try the other 3 voicings above — same notes, different neck positions and textures.

Notes in this chord

SymbolIntervalNote
RrootB♭
♭3minor thirdD♭
5perfect fifthF
♭7minor seventhA♭

B♭m7 FAQ

What notes are in B♭m7?
B♭m7 contains B♭, D♭, F, and A♭ — the root (B♭), the minor third, the perfect fifth, and the minor seventh.

Is B♭m7 a barre chord?
The most common B♭m7 shape (x-1-3-1-2-1) is a barre chord — your index finger bars fret 1 across 5 strings. There is no standard open-position shape for this chord in standard tuning, but the diagrams above include every practical alternative up the neck.

What is the easiest way to play B♭m7 on guitar?
Start with the barre · 1fr shape x-1-3-1-2-1. Lay your index finger flat across the top 5 strings (from the A (5th) string up) at fret 1 — that barre is the backbone of this B♭m7 shape. Then add your middle finger on the B (2nd) string at fret 2 and your ring finger on the D (4th) string at fret 3. Keep the low E (6th) string out of the strum — start your downstroke from the A (5th) string.