Chords in the Key of B♭ Major — Guitar Chord Chart

The key of B♭ major has 2 flats, and its seven chords are B♭, Cm, Dm, E♭, F, Gm, Adim. Start with B♭, E♭, F: they are the three a song in B♭ major cannot do without. Every diagram below plays when you press it.

The seven chords of B♭ major

One chord on each note of the scale, built from the scale’s own notes. Capital numerals are major chords, small ones minor, and ° is diminished.

IB♭x13331the home chord
iiCmx35543leads to V
iiiDmxx0231a softer stand-in for I
IVE♭xx1343the step away from home
VF133211pulls back to I
viGm310033the relative minor
vii°Adimx0121xrare — a passing chord

The three to learn first

B♭ is home — the chord the song starts from and ends on. E♭ is the step away, and F is the one that pulls back home. On guitar they are x13331, xx1343 and 133211: B♭ with a barre at the 1st fret and three more fingers, E♭ with four fingers and F with a barre at the 1st fret and three more fingers.

The easy way: a capo at the 1st fret

B♭ major is not a friendly key on guitar — B♭, Cm, E♭, F and Gm need a barre or a fourth finger. Clamp a capo at the 1st fret and play the chords of A major instead: every shape sounds 1 semitone higher, so the A shape sounds B♭, the D shape sounds E♭ and the E shape sounds F.

Progressions in B♭ major

The orders these chords are most often played in. Press play to hear each one strummed, a bar to a chord.

I – IV – VB♭ – E♭ – F

Three chords, and thousands of folk, blues, country and rock songs.

I – V – vi – IVB♭ – F – Gm – E♭

The four-chord pop progression.

I – vi – IV – VB♭ – Gm – E♭ – F

The 1950s doo-wop turnaround.

ii – V – ICm – F7 – B♭

The jazz cadence: two steps toward home, then home.

The sevenths

Four-note versions of the same chords. F7 is the one worth learning first: it is F with one note added, and it pulls toward B♭ harder than the plain chord does.

V7F7131211the dominant with its seventh — the strongest pull home
Imaj7B♭maj7x13231home, softened
ii7Cm7x35343the jazz player’s way into V7

The scale behind the chords

B♭ major is the notes B♭ – C – D – E♭ – F – G – A. Every chord above uses only those seven notes, which is why they sound as if they belong together — and why a melody in B♭ major fits over any of them. Its relative minor is G minor, which has the same notes and the same chords with a different home.

The nearest keys are a fifth either side: F major and E♭ major. Each shares six of this key’s seven notes, which is why songs change key to them so often.

Frequently asked questions

What chords are in the key of B♭ major?

B♭ (I), Cm (ii), Dm (iii), E♭ (IV), F (V), Gm (vi), Adim (vii°). They are the seven chords you get by stacking thirds on each note of the B♭ major scale — B♭, C, D, E♭, F, G, A — using only notes of that scale.

What are the three main chords in B♭ major?

B♭, E♭ and F — the chords on the first, fourth and fifth notes of the scale. B♭ is home, E♭ moves away from it and F pulls back. A great many songs use only these three.

What is the relative minor of B♭ major?

G minor. The two keys share all seven notes and all seven chords, in a different order: what is vi in B♭ major is the home chord of G minor. A song can move between them without any chord sounding out of place.

Is B♭ major an easy key on guitar?

5 of its six everyday chords — B♭, Cm, E♭, F and Gm — need a barre or four fingers on guitar. The usual way round that is a capo at the 1st fret, playing the chord shapes of A major.

Guitar Chords in the Key of B♭ Major