Bm7 B minor seventh chord
- Notes
- B D F# A
- Formula
- 1 b3 5 b7
- Semitones
- 0 3 7 10 above the root
- Other symbols
- Bmin7, B−7
B to D is a minor third (3 semitones), D to F# is a major third (4 semitones), F# to A is a minor third (3 semitones). A minor triad plus a minor seventh (A). With D in the bass the same four notes are read as D6.
Bm7 on the piano
Root position from B4: B4, D5, F#5, A5. Middle C is C4.
Bm7 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 B as its lowest note.
x 2 4 2 3 2 (low E to high e)
Sounds B2 F#3 A3 D4 F#4
7 9 7 7 7 7 (low E to high e)
Sounds B2 F#3 A3 D4 F#4 B4
The barre shapes 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.
Inversions of Bm7
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 | B D F# A | Bm7 | |
| 1st inversion | D F# A B | D6 (also read as Bm7/D) | |
| 2nd inversion | F# A B D | Bm7/F# | |
| 3rd inversion | A B D F# | Bm7/A |
Where Bm7 fits
Bm7 is ii7 in A major, iii7 in G major, vi7 in D major. As ii7 it is the first chord of the ii–V–I that ends countless jazz and pop phrases: Bm7 → E7 → Amaj7.