What notes are in a Bm7 chord?

Bm7 contains four notes: B (root), D (minor third), F♯ (perfect fifth), and A (minor seventh).

How do you play Bm7 on guitar?

The open Bm7 voicing is x20202: mute the low E, then B (2nd fret 5th string), open D, A (2nd fret 3rd string), open B, and open high E. The A and E open strings carry the 7th and 4th naturally.

Many A-major and D-major folk-rock tunes use Bm7 as a primary iim7 or vim7. The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood" centres in E major but uses Bm-related harmony in its bridge; jazz tunes in A major cadence through Bm7 at every turn.

How is Bm7 different from Bmaj7?

Two notes change. Bmaj7 has D♯ (major 3rd) and A♯ (major 7th); Bm7 has D natural (minor 3rd) and A natural (minor 7th). Different chord quality and function.

B minor 7 chord — notes, intervals, and practice

B minor 7 (Bm7) — B, D, F♯, A — is B minor with a minor 7th on top. The chord is the iim7 of A major (Bm7 → E7 → Amaj7), the vim7 of D major, and the im7 of B minor in modal jazz. On guitar, the open Bm7 voicing (x20202) is one of the easiest jazz chords to finger.

Intervals

The B minor 7 chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:

B→Dminor 3rd3 semitones
D→F#major 3rd4 semitones
F#→Aminor 3rd3 semitones

On the keyboard

Each note of the B minor 7 chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.

On the guitar

One voicing of the B minor 7 chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.

1B
♭3D
5F#
♭7A

Common mistakes

Bm7 has D as its third and F♯ as its fifth (the F♯ is the only sharp in the chord). The most common error is reading F♯ as F natural, which would make Bdim7-related harmony. On guitar, the open Bm7 voicing (x20202) is widely used because the open strings A and E line up with chord tones.

In context

Bm7 is the iim7 of A major (Bm7 → E7 → Amaj7), the vim7 of D major, and the im7 of B minor in modal jazz. "Autumn Leaves" transposed to A major would put Bm7 in the iim7 slot; the chord is also fundamental to D-major and A-major folk-rock writing.

Drill it

The B minor 7 chord is one of 48 in the Chord Trainer. Open the full trainer to practice it alongside related chords with timing and best-time tracking.

Open the Chord Trainer →Or try today's Etudle puzzle

Frequently asked

What notes are in a Bm7 chord?: Bm7 contains four notes: B (root), D (minor third), F♯ (perfect fifth), and A (minor seventh).
How do you play Bm7 on guitar?: The open Bm7 voicing is x20202: mute the low E, then B (2nd fret 5th string), open D, A (2nd fret 3rd string), open B, and open high E. The A and E open strings carry the 7th and 4th naturally.
What pieces use Bm7?: Many A-major and D-major folk-rock tunes use Bm7 as a primary iim7 or vim7. The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood" centres in E major but uses Bm-related harmony in its bridge; jazz tunes in A major cadence through Bm7 at every turn.
How is Bm7 different from Bmaj7?: Two notes change. Bmaj7 has D♯ (major 3rd) and A♯ (major 7th); Bm7 has D natural (minor 3rd) and A natural (minor 7th). Different chord quality and function.