A#/B♭ Minor 7th
1st FretThe standard A#m7 — Am7-shape barre at the 1st fret. Barre fret 1 with the index across the A, D, G, B, and high e strings; ring on D fret 3, middle on B fret 2. Mute the low E. The most widely used A#m7 voicing.
A#/B♭ Minor 7th
6th FretEm7-shape barre at the 6th fret. Barre fret 6 with the index across all six strings, then ring on A fret 8. A full, resonant A#m7 voicing with the root on the low E string.
A#/B♭ Minor 7th
8th FretA compact 4-string D-shape voicing with the root on the D string at fret 8. Index on D fret 8 (root), pinky on G fret 10 (5th), ring on B fret 9 (minor 7th), middle on high e fret 9 (minor 3rd). Strum the top four strings only — no barre.
A#/B♭ Minor 7th
1st FretCompact three-note voicing on the top strings — minor 7th on G fret 1, minor 3rd on B fret 2, 5th on high e fret 1. Only three fingers, no barre. Great for fast comping and quiet rhythm work — and the lowest-position A#m7 voicing.
A#/B♭ Minor 7th
13th FretThe 1st-fret Am7-shape barre moved one octave up — barre fret 13 with the index, ring on D fret 15, middle on B fret 14. Bright and cutting for high-register chord work.
Tips for Playing the A#m7 Chord
Start with the Am7-shape barre
The x-1-3-1-2-1 shape at fret 1 is the standard A#m7. It is fully moveable — slide it up or down to play any minor 7th chord on the A string root.
Spell it as B♭m7 in flat keys
In written music, this chord is almost always spelled B♭m7, because flat-key signatures dominate jazz, R&B, and orchestral writing. The shape and sound are identical to A#m7.
Roll the barre finger
For the 1st-fret barre, tilt your index slightly so the bony outer edge presses the strings. The 1st fret is the hardest position for barres because the string tension is highest.
Use the top-string voicing for speed
The x-x-x-1-2-1 shape on G, B, and high e is the easiest A#m7. Use it when full barres slow you down and only an outline of the chord is needed.
B♭m7 in the ii–V–I
B♭m7 → E♭7 → A♭maj7 is the classic ii–V–I in A♭ major — a popular jazz ballad key. Practising this cycle is essential for jazz comping.
Slide between m7 shapes
A#m7 (fret 1 Am7-shape) and Bm7 (fret 2 Am7-shape) use the same shape — practise sliding the barre one fret at a time to build m7 fluency around the neck.
About the A#m7 Chord on Guitar
The A#m7 chord is built from four notes: A# (the root), C# (the minor 3rd), F (the perfect 5th), and G# (the minor 7th). It is the A# minor triad with an added flat 7th, giving the chord a smooth, mellow, slightly melancholy character. Because none of the chord tones match an open guitar string, every A#m7 voicing requires fretted notes. A#m7 is enharmonically identical to B♭m7, which is by far the more common spelling in written music: B♭m7 functions as the ii chord in A♭ major (a popular jazz ballad key), the iii chord in G♭ major, the vi chord in D♭ major, and the i chord in B♭ minor. This page covers five voicings, from the standard Am7-shape barre at fret 1 to a high-register barre an octave up. Every diagram is interactive and playable with real acoustic guitar sound.
- 015 A#m7/B♭m7 chord shapes from beginner to advanced
- 02Interactive diagrams — click Play to hear each chord
- 03Real acoustic guitar sound via audio engine
- 04Am7-shape barre, Em7-shape barre, 4-string D-shape, top-string voicing, and high-register barre
- 05Difficulty rating on every shape
- 06Free — no sign-up or download needed
ANATOMY
Chord Tones
The 4 notes that form the A#/B♭ Minor 7th chord and their role in the major scale.
Every minor 7th chord follows this same formula — root, minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh.