A#/B♭ Major 7th
1st FretA-shape barre chord rooted on A#/B♭ at the 1st fret — the standard B♭maj7. Mute the low E; barre fret 1 with your index, ring on D fret 3, middle on G fret 2, pinky on B fret 3.
A#/B♭ Major 7th
Hybrid OpenA beautiful hybrid voicing using the open D string. Index on A fret 1, middle on G fret 2, ring on B fret 3, D string open. Strum the middle four strings only (A through B). The open D is the major 3rd of B♭, giving this voicing a soft, ringing quality — great for fingerstyle.
A#/B♭ Major 7th
6th FretA compact 4-string maj7 voicing with the root on the low E string at fret 6. Index on low E fret 6 (root), middle on B fret 6 (5th), ring on D fret 7 (maj7), pinky on G fret 7 (3rd). Mute the A and high e strings. No barre required.
A#/B♭ Major 7th
8th FretD-shape moveable voicing with the root on the D string at fret 8. Index on D fret 8, then ring/middle/pinky (or a small barre) across G, B, and high e at fret 10. A compact mid-position voicing — strum the top four strings only.
A#/B♭ Major 7th
5th FretA Drop 2 voicing on the top four strings — root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th stacked in order. Pinky on D fret 8, ring on G fret 7, middle on B fret 6, index on high e fret 5. A go-to jazz comping shape with a clear, sparkling sound.
Tips for Playing the A#maj7 / B♭maj7 Chord
Start with the A-shape barre
The x-1-3-2-3-1 voicing at fret 1 is the standard B♭maj7. It is a moveable shape — slide it up to play any major 7th chord (fret 2 = Bmaj7, fret 3 = Cmaj7, etc.).
Try the hybrid open voicing
The x-1-0-2-3-1 shape uses the open D string as the 3rd of B♭, giving it a beautiful ringing quality that the full barre lacks. Great for fingerstyle and folk.
Mute the low E
In all the A-shape and D-shape voicings, the low E is muted. Let the side of your index finger lightly touch the low E to mute it as you strum.
Use it in jazz keys
B♭ and F are two of the most common keys in jazz standards (especially for horn players). Knowing B♭maj7 fluently will pay off when reading jazz lead sheets.
Move the barre shapes
The A-shape at fret 1 and E-shape at fret 6 are fully moveable — slide them up or down to play any major 7th chord.
Jazz turnaround
B♭maj7 → Gm7 → Cm7 → F7 is one of the most-used progressions in jazz standards. Try cycling these four shapes.
About the A#maj7 / B♭maj7 Chord on Guitar
The A#maj7 / B♭maj7 chord is built from four notes: A# (or B♭), D, F, and A. It is the A#/B♭ major triad with an added major 7th, giving the chord a warm, dreamy, slightly bittersweet quality. B♭maj7 is one of the most important chords in jazz — B♭ and F are extremely common keys for jazz standards, especially in horn-led arrangements. This page covers five voicings, from the standard A-shape barre at the 1st fret to a hybrid open-string voicing and advanced jazz shapes. Every diagram is interactive and playable with real acoustic guitar sound. A#maj7 is enharmonically identical to B♭maj7 — the same chord, spelled differently depending on the key.
- 015 A#maj7/B♭maj7 chord shapes from intermediate to advanced
- 02Interactive diagrams — click Play to hear each chord
- 03Real acoustic guitar sound via audio engine
- 04A-shape barre, hybrid open-D voicing, E-shape barre, D-shape, and Drop 2 jazz voicings
- 05Difficulty rating on every shape
- 06Free — no sign-up or download needed
ANATOMY
Chord Tones
The 4 notes that form the A#/B♭ Major 7th chord and their role in the major scale.
Every major chord follows this same formula — root, major third, perfect fifth.