B♭m7 chord on piano
B♭m7 is B♭, D♭, F and A♭. B♭ sits on the last black key of the group of three. Hit Play and watch each key light as it sounds.
root position · B♭–D♭–F–A♭ · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- B♭ · D♭ · F · A♭
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7
How to play B♭m7 on piano
From B♭, go 3 half steps up to D♭, 4 half steps up to F then 3 half steps up to A♭. That's the whole chord: 4 keys.
- Right hand: 1 on B♭, 2 on D♭, 3 on F and 5 on A♭.
- Left hand: 5 on B♭, 3 on D♭, 2 on F and 1 on A♭.
- On the keyboard it's black, black, white and black keys.
B♭m7 inversions
- root position: B♭–D♭–F–A♭. RH 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: D♭–F–A♭–B♭ (D♭ in the bass). Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: F–A♭–B♭–D♭, with F at the bottom. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: A♭–B♭–D♭–F, A♭ lowest. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
Inversions keep the same notes and change which one is lowest. Moving between chords, pick the inversion that keeps your hand closest to where it already is.
Moving between B♭m7 and its neighbours
These are the changes you'll meet most often with B♭m7, using the first shape of each chord.
- E♭7 (V in A♭ major): B♭m7 to E♭7: play E♭7 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. E♭7 on piano
- C♯maj7 (IV in A♭ major): B♭m7 to C♯maj7: play C♯maj7 in 3rd inversion (B♯–C♯–E♯–G♯) and C♯, E♯ and G♯ stay under the same fingers, while B♭ moves up to B♯. C♯maj7 on piano
- A♭maj7 (I in A♭ major): B♭m7 to A♭maj7: play A♭maj7 in 1st inversion (C–E♭–G–A♭) and A♭ stays under the same finger, while B♭ moves up to C, D♭ up to E♭ and F up to G. A♭maj7 on piano
B♭m7 is a minor seventh chord: a minor triad plus a minor seventh. B♭m7 is the easy-going minor, common as the ii chord right before a dominant seventh. Play it solid and then broken to hear the difference.
Practice B♭m7 in two minutes
Start with a broken chord, B♭ D♭ F A♭ F D♭ B♭, then play it solid. Next, walk up through B♭–D♭–F–A♭ → D♭–F–A♭–B♭ → F–A♭–B♭–D♭ → A♭–B♭–D♭–F without lifting your eyes to your hand.
The keys of B♭m7
B♭m7 is a minor seventh chord, 1–♭3–5–♭7 from B♭. Root position, from the bottom: how B♭m7 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| B♭ | black key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| D♭ | black key | RH 2 · LH 3 | minor third |
| F | white key | RH 3 · LH 2 | perfect fifth |
| A♭ | black key | RH 5 · LH 1 | minor seventh |
A♯m7 is another spelling of B♭m7. Same keys, same sound.
Keys and progressions with B♭m7
In A♭ major, ii–V–I on piano is B♭m7 (B♭–D♭–F–A♭), E♭7 (E♭–G–B♭–D♭) and A♭maj7 (A♭–C–E♭–G). About the jazz cadence.
B♭m7 on guitar and ukulele
B♭m7 on guitar and ukulele uses the same 4 notes in a different layout. See all three together.
Related B♭ chords on piano
Other minor seventh chords
B♭m7 on piano: questions
What notes are in B♭m7 on piano?
B♭, D♭, F and A♭: B♭ (black key), D♭ (black key), F (white key) and A♭ (black key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play B♭m7 on piano?
Press B♭, D♭, F and A♭ together (3 black, 1 white). Right hand: 1 on B♭, 2 on D♭, 3 on F and 5 on A♭.
What are the inversions of B♭m7?
1st inversion (D♭–F–A♭–B♭), 2nd inversion (F–A♭–B♭–D♭) and 3rd inversion (A♭–B♭–D♭–F), after root position (B♭–D♭–F–A♭). Same notes, a different one at the bottom.
What does B♭m7 look like on the keyboard?
black, black, white and black keys.
Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside B♭m7. Updated September 2026.