B♭m7, the B♭ minor 7 guitar chord
B♭m7 is the Am7 grip one fret up from the nut, and the nut is the stubbornest place to barre because the strings give the least there. Five strings sound and the low E stays out. Coming from B♭m, lift the pinky off the G string and let the barre take it. Funk and soul in A♭ and D♭ are full of it. If the chord buzzes, roll the index onto its bony edge and pull back with the arm instead of squeezing with the thumb.
How to play it
- Index finger flattened across the A string (5th), G string (3rd) and high E string (1st), 1st fret.
- Middle finger on the B string (2nd), 2nd fret.
- Ring finger on the D string (4th), 3rd fret.
- Don't strum the low E string (6th). It stays silent in this shape.
Changes to practice
Holding B♭m7 still is the easy part. Songs need you to arrive at it in rhythm, so in Strumhold you practice B♭m7 as changes, alongside the rest of the Barre Minor 7ths set:
- B♭m7 ↔ Bm7 B♭ minor 7 to B minor 7 Drill
- B♭m7 ↔ G♯m7 B♭ minor 7 to G♯ minor 7 Drill
- B♭m7 ↔ C♯m7 B♭ minor 7 to C♯ minor 7 Drill
- B♭m7 ↔ Fm7 B♭ minor 7 to F minor 7 Drill
- B♭m7 ↔ F♯m7 B♭ minor 7 to F♯ minor 7 Drill
- B♭m7 ↔ E♭m7 B♭ minor 7 to E♭ minor 7 Drill