B7 chord on ukulele

B7 is B, D♯, F♯ and A. The usual shape is 2-3-2-2. Play it once at full speed, then at a quarter to hear every note.

2-3-2-2 · movable · medium

Notes: B · D♯ · F♯ · A
Formula: 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7
First shape: 2-3-2-2

How to play B7 on ukulele

Shape 1, 2-3-2-2, reading from the G string on the left, starts at the 2nd fret:

Put your index finger on the G string at the 2nd fret, which is A.
Put your middle finger on the E string at the 2nd fret, which is F♯.
Put your ring finger on the A string at the 2nd fret, which is B.
Put your pinky finger on the C string at the 3rd fret, which is D♯.

This shape uses your pinky. It feels weak at first; press with the tip and let the finger stay curved.
On ukulele you strum all four strings. The top G string is tuned higher than the C, which is why ukulele chords sound bright and close.

Other ways to play B7

8-9-7-9: movable shape at the 7th fret, medium. Higher up the neck it sounds brighter; handy when another guitar is already playing a lower shape.
11-11-11-12: movable shape at the 11th fret, medium. A high voicing for when the low version is taken by another instrument.

Playing B7 with a capo

With a capo you can skip the harder shapes: capo on the 2nd fret and play the open A7 shape (0-1-0-0), capo on the 4th fret and play the open G7 shape (0-2-1-2) or capo on the 7th fret and play the open E7 shape (1-2-0-2). Everything above the capo is fingered exactly like the open chord.

Moving between B7 and its neighbours

The chords B7 usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.

E (the V7 pulls home a fifth below): B7 (2-3-2-2) to E (1-4-0-2): the index finger goes to the G string, 1st fret, the middle finger slides across to the A string at the same fret, move the ring finger to the C string, 4th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. The two chords share B, which is why the change sounds smooth. E on ukulele
Emaj7 (I in E major): B7 (2-3-2-2) to Emaj7 (1-3-0-2): the index finger goes to the G string, 1st fret, the middle finger slides across to the A string at the same fret, your ring finger lands on the C string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Shared notes: B and D♯. Emaj7 on ukulele
C♯m7 (vi in E major): B7 (2-3-2-2) to C♯m7 (1-1-0-2): your ring finger stays put, your index finger lands on the G string, 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the C string, 1st fret. Shared note: B. C♯m7 on ukulele

B7 is a dominant seventh chord: a major triad with a flattened seventh on top. All 4 notes of B7 fit on the ukulele's four strings. Play it once strummed and once picked to hear the difference.

A short B7 drill

Before strumming, play 2-3-2-2 note by note: A then D♯ then F♯ then B. A dead note tells you exactly which finger to fix. Then switch to 8-9-7-9 and back four times without looking at your hand.

Keys and progressions with B7

In B major, I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) on ukulele is B7 (2-3-2-2), E7 (1-2-0-2) and F♯7 (3-4-2-4). About the 12-bar blues.

In E major, ii–V–I on ukulele is F♯m7 (2-4-2-4), B7 (2-3-2-2) and Emaj7 (1-3-0-2). About the jazz cadence.

B7 on guitar and piano

The same notes on another instrument: B7 on guitar and B7 on piano. This page puts all three side by side.

Related B chords on ukulele

Other dominant seventh chords

B7 on ukulele: questions

What notes are in B7 on ukulele?

B, D♯, F♯ and A. In the 2-3-2-2 shape the strings play A (G string), D♯ (C string), F♯ (E string) and B (A string).

What's the easiest way to play B7 on ukulele?

In standard tuning B7 can't use open strings. Begin with 2-3-2-2. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and in many songs a capo can take over part of the work.

Is B7 a barre chord on ukulele?

Not usually: 2-3-2-2 needs no barre.

Which string does B7 start on?

In the 2-3-2-2 shape the lowest string you play is the G string at the 2nd fret, which is A, the minor seventh.

Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside B7. Updated September 2026.