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B Dominant 7th (B7)

Download MIDI
1+3+5+b7
B1A5D#2F#3
4 4

Notes in B Dominant 7th

B (root)D#F#A

Inversions

Same notes as B Dominant 7th, with a different chord tone as the lowest note. Useful for smoother movement between chords instead of jumping around the keyboard.

Root position

B in the bass

B1A5D#2F#3

1st inversion

D# in the bass (B7/D#)

A4B5D#1F#2

2nd inversion

F# in the bass (B7/F#)

A2B3F#1D#5

3rd inversion

A in the bass (B7/A)

A1B2D#3F#5

Open voicings

A close-position chord like B Dominant 7th can sound cluttered in the middle of the keyboard. Jazz players open it up by dropping one note down an octave, spreading the same notes wider without changing the chord.

Drop 2

F# on the bottom

B1A5F#3D#2

Drop 3

D# on the bottom

B1A5D#2F#3

B Dominant 7th consists of B, D#, F# and A, played at the same time.

A major triad with a minor seventh stacked on top, this is the workhorse chord of blues and functional harmony. Hiding between its third and seventh is a tritone, the same restless interval that gives the chord its itchy pull toward whichever chord sits a fifth below.

Related chords

BBm7B9B7#11

Difficulty: Intermediate. Category: Seventh chords. Click any highlighted key on the diagram above, or tab to it and press Enter, to hear that single note. Inversions mark the bass note with a contrasting outline.