Bb7 Ukulele Chord

Bb7 is the B flat dominant seventh chord. It has four notes: B flat, D, F and A flat. The shape is a barre at the 1st fret: index flat across all four strings, middle finger on the 2nd fret of the C string.

Index barred across all four strings at the 1st fret, middle on the 2nd fret of the C string. Bb with the ring finger lifted and the barre widened.

How to play Bb7 on ukulele, step by step

Index finger: press flat across the G to A strings at fret 1
Middle finger: 2nd fret, C string
Strum all four strings.

Bb7 comes almost free with Bb. The major chord barres two strings and stacks two more fingers; for Bb7 you flatten the same index across all four strings, keep the middle finger, and leave the ring finger off. The note it was fretting becomes the seventh.

More ways to play Bb7

There are 3 common Bb7 shapes: the standard one at the top of the page, plus these further up the neck. You only ever need one. Tap any card to hear it.

Bb7 ukulele chord diagram, frets 3 to 5, played 3545 — Frets 3 to 5

Bb7 ukulele chord diagram, frets 6 to 8, played 7868 — Frets 6 to 8

If the barre will not ring

Strings die under the barre: At the 1st fret the strings are stiffest. Roll the index onto its edge, keep it tight behind the fret wire, and squeeze from the thumb rather than the wrist.
The C string is muffled: The middle finger must stand on its tip. If it lies back, it rests on the barre and neither note speaks cleanly.
It sounds like Bb: Check the g string. In Bb the ring finger holds it at the 3rd fret; in Bb7 that string belongs to the barre at the 1st, sounding A flat, the seventh.

What makes it a Bb7

B♭ · D · F · A♭ 1 3 5 ♭7

Bb7 is a dominant seventh: a B flat major triad (B flat, D, F) plus a minor seventh, A flat. The seventh points it at a target: Bb7 is the V7 of Eb, and it pulls toward E flat major and minor alike.

B flat is a horn key, so Bb7 turns up wherever the ukulele meets jazz and swing repertoire: the older songbook standards run on exactly this chord, and the grip is the same movable barre that plays B7 one fret higher.

Bb7 vs Bb

The two shapes share their skeleton. Bb is 3211 with the ring finger on the g string; Bb7 is 1211 with that finger lifted and the barre widened, so the g string falls to the 1st fret and sounds A flat instead of B flat.

Lifting one finger changes the chord's whole intent: Bb rests, Bb7 leans toward Eb. In a swing progression the two often sit side by side, which makes the shared grip a genuine convenience.

Bb7 chord questions

Is Bb7 the same as A#7?

Yes, one chord with two names. Flat keys are how this chord's world is written, so B flat is the spelling used here.

Is Bb7 hard to play?

It is a barre, but a short one at the 1st fret plus a single finger. If Bb is manageable, Bb7 is a finger easier.

What does Bb7 resolve to?

Eb. Bb7 is the V7 chord of E flat major and E flat minor.

What is the difference between Bb7 and Bb?

The g string. Bb frets it at the 3rd fret for a doubled root; Bb7 lets the barre hold it at the 1st, which is A flat, the seventh.

Where is Bb7 used?

In songs in Eb, in jazz and swing standards written for horns, and one fret below B7 whenever a progression walks sevenths down the neck.