B7 chord
B7 is B, D♯, F♯ and A: 1–3–5–♭7 built on B. Below: guitar, piano and ukulele, each playable.
On guitar
x-2-1-2-0-2 · open · medium
- Notes
- B · D♯ · F♯ · A
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7
- First shape
- x-2-1-2-0-2
B7 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · B–D♯–F♯–A · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- B · D♯ · F♯ · A
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7
B7 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
2-3-2-2 · movable · medium
- Notes
- B · D♯ · F♯ · A
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7
- First shape
- 2-3-2-2
B7 and the chords around it
The moves below are the ones you'll meet most, shown for guitar and piano.
- B7 → E (the V7 pulls home a fifth below)
Guitar: B7 (x-2-1-2-0-2) to E (0-2-2-1-0-0): your middle finger stays put, the index finger slides across to the G string at the same fret, the ring finger slides across to the D string at the same fret. Listen for B, which stays put while the rest moves.
Piano: B7 to E: play E in 2nd inversion (B–E–G♯) and B stays under the same finger, while D♯ moves up to E and A down to G♯. E - B7 → Emaj7 (I in E major)
Guitar: B7 (x-2-1-2-0-2) to Emaj7 (0-2-1-1-0-0): your index finger stays put, the middle finger goes to the G string, 1st fret, your ring finger lands on the A string, 2nd fret. B and D♯ carry over from one chord to the other.
Piano: B7 to Emaj7: play Emaj7 in 2nd inversion (B–D♯–E–G♯) and B and D♯ stay under the same fingers, while F♯ moves down to E and A down to G♯. Emaj7 - B7 → C♯m7 (vi in E major)
Guitar: B7 (x-2-1-2-0-2) to C♯m7 (x-4-2-1-0-0): the index finger slides across to the G string at the same fret, the middle finger slides across to the D string at the same fret, move the ring finger to the A string, 4th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. B carries over from one chord to the other.
Piano: B7 to C♯m7: play C♯m7 in 3rd inversion (B–C♯–E–G♯) and B stays under the same finger, while D♯ moves down to C♯, F♯ down to E and A down to G♯. C♯m7
Guitar with a capo: capo 2, A7 shape; capo 4, G7 shape; capo 7, E7 shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 2, A7 shape; capo 4, G7 shape; capo 7, E7 shape.
How B7 is built
B7 is a dominant seventh chord: a major triad with a flattened seventh on top. It sounds restless and wants to move, most strongly to E, the chord a fifth below. It is also the backbone of the blues, where every chord can be a seventh.
Count keys (black and white) from B: 4 half steps up to D♯, 3 half steps up to F♯ then 3 half steps up to A.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | root | 0 | |
| D♯ | major third | 4 | |
| F♯ | perfect fifth | 7 | |
| A | minor seventh | 10 |
Keys and progressions with B7
In major keys, B7 is V7 in E major. In minor keys it is V7 in E minor (borrowing the raised 7th) and VII7 in C♯ minor.
I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) in B major runs B7 – B7 – B7 – B7 – E7 – E7 – B7 – B7 – F♯7 – E7 – B7 – F♯7. the 12-bar blues
Play ii–V–I in E major and you get F♯m7 – B7 – Emaj7. the jazz cadence
Chords close to B7
- B7 is B plus A. B
- B7 and Bmaj7 differ by one note: A in B7, A♯ in Bmaj7. They share B, D♯ and F♯. Bmaj7
Chords that share most of their notes with B7: B9, D♯dim, B, Cdim7, D6, D♯dim7.
Every B chord
B7 chord: questions
What notes are in the B7 chord?
B, D♯, F♯ and A. B7 is built 1–3–5–♭7 from B: D♯ is the major third, F♯ is the perfect fifth and A is the minor seventh.
How do you play B7 on guitar?
The usual shape is x-2-1-2-0-2 (open). All 4 guitar shapes.
How do you play B7 on piano?
Play B, D♯, F♯ and A with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-5. B sits just right of the group of three black keys. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play B7 on ukulele?
2-3-2-2 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is B7 in?
In major keys, B7 is V7 in E major. In minor keys it is V7 in E minor (borrowing the raised 7th) and VII7 in C♯ minor.
What's the difference between B7 and B?
B7 is B plus A.
All three instruments are drawn and played from B, D♯, F♯ and A by the same engine. Updated September 2026.