Chords in B♭ major
Find all seven triads and seventh chords in B♭ major, then hear how they work in a short progression.
Chords in B♭ Major
| Degree | Chord | Notes | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | B♭ | B♭ · D · F | Major |
| ii | Cm | C · E♭ · G | Minor |
| iii | Dm | D · F · A | Minor |
| IV | E♭ | E♭ · G · B♭ | Major |
| V | F | F · A · C | Major |
| vi | Gm | G · B♭ · D | Minor |
| vii° | Adim | A · C · E♭ | Diminished |
Stack every other note of the scale. The pattern of thirds determines each chord quality.
I–IV–V–I progression
Sevenths
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | B♭maj7 | B♭ · D · F · A |
| ii7 | Cm7 | C · E♭ · G · B♭ |
| iii7 | Dm7 | D · F · A · C |
| IVmaj7 | E♭maj7 | E♭ · G · B♭ · D |
| V7 | F7 | F · A · C · E♭ |
| vi7 | Gm7 | G · B♭ · D · F |
| viiø7 | Am7♭5 | A · C · E♭ · G |
Ready to play. Sound starts when you press Play.
Start with the scale
The B♭-major collection is B♭ · C · D · E♭ · F · G · A, with 2 flats in its signature. Build a chord on each scale note by taking every other note, wrapping around the scale as needed.
B-flat and E-flat are the only altered notes. A natural is the seventh degree, so A–B-flat is the final half step back to the tonic.
The seven diatonic triads
The sequence is B♭, Cm, Dm, E♭, F, Gm, Adim. Capital Roman numerals mark major triads; lowercase numerals mark minor triads, and the small circle marks the diminished triad.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I | B♭ | B♭ · D · F |
| ii | Cm | C · E♭ · G |
| iii | Dm | D · F · A |
| IV | E♭ | E♭ · G · B♭ |
| V | F | F · A · C |
| vi | Gm | G · B♭ · D |
| vii° | Adim | A · C · E♭ |
Add one more scale third
Continuing the same stacking process produces the seven chords below. The V7 chord is F7, containing F · A · C · E♭. Its seventh is taken from this scale, not added by assuming every seventh is major.
| Degree | Seventh chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | B♭maj7 | B♭ · D · F · A |
| ii7 | Cm7 | C · E♭ · G · B♭ |
| iii7 | Dm7 | D · F · A · C |
| IVmaj7 | E♭maj7 | E♭ · G · B♭ · D |
| V7 | F7 | F · A · C · E♭ |
| vi7 | Gm7 | G · B♭ · D · F |
| viiø7 | Am7♭5 | A · C · E♭ · G |
Hear an original I–IV–V–I example
Arrange B♭ → E♭ → F → B♭. Play each chord for the same number of beats. The return to B♭ gives you a simple way to compare the other chords against the tonic. This is a short constructed exercise, not a transcription of a song.
Then replace the V triad with F7. Listen separately to A, the leading tone of the key, moving to B♭, and E♭ moving down to D. These small motions are useful comparisons, not a rule that every voicing must use exactly this spacing.
A key is larger than this list
G natural minor shares the signature but has a different tonic. Music in B♭ major may also use chromatic or borrowed chords, so a chord outside the table does not automatically establish a new key. This page names the chords derived strictly from the displayed major scale.
Sources and methods
- Diatonic chords in major
- Major key signatures
- ChordLilt product contract
- Roman numerals of diatonic seventh chords