Bbm7 Bb minor seventh chord
- Notes
- Bb Db F Ab
- Formula
- 1 b3 5 b7
- Semitones
- 0 3 7 10 above the root
- Also written
- A#m7 (A# C# E# G#)
- Other symbols
- Bbmin7, Bb−7
Bb to Db is a minor third (3 semitones), Db to F is a major third (4 semitones), F to Ab is a minor third (3 semitones). A minor triad plus a minor seventh (Ab). With Db in the bass the same four notes are read as Db6.
Bbm7 on the piano
Root position from Bb4: Bb4, Db5, F5, Ab5. Middle C is C4.
Bbm7 on the guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has Bb as its lowest note.
x 1 3 1 2 1 (low E to high e)
Sounds Bb2 F3 Ab3 Db4 F4
6 8 6 6 6 6 (low E to high e)
Sounds Bb2 F3 Ab3 Db4 F4 Bb4
The E-shape and A-shape grips are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play minor seventh chords on other roots.
Bbm7 on the ukulele
Standard ukulele tuning is G C E A, drawn with the G string on the left and frets downwards, as ukulele chord charts show it. The G string is tuned higher than the C string (G4 above middle C, a fifth over C4), so the lowest note you hear is usually on the C or E string, not on the G string, and a shape can sound as an inversion even when its root is on the G string. All four strings are strummed, so every string plays a chord tone; the root is in blue-green.
1111 (G C E A)
Sounds Ab4 Db4 F4 Bb4
Lowest note Db4, so the chord finder reads it as Db6.
1141 (G C E A)
Sounds Ab4 Db4 Ab4 Bb4, fifth (F) left out
Lowest note Db4, so the chord finder reads it as Bbm7/Db (first inversion).
Inversions of Bbm7
An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.
| Position | Notes, bass first | Named | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | Bb Db F Ab | Bbm7 | |
| 1st inversion | Db F Ab Bb | Db6 (also read as Bbm7/Db) | |
| 2nd inversion | F Ab Bb Db | Bbm7/F | |
| 3rd inversion | Ab Bb Db F | Bbm7/Ab |
Where Bbm7 fits
Bbm7 is ii7 in Ab major, iii7 in Gb major, vi7 in Db major. As ii7 it is the first chord of the ii–V–I that ends countless jazz and pop phrases: Bbm7 → Eb7 → Abmaj7.