B♭°7
Character: suspense
- B♭Rtriad
- D♭♭3triad
- F♭♭5triad
- A𝄫𝄫7add
8 ways to play B♭°7
Every voicing sits inside one of the five CAGED shapes, low to high on the neck, with its octave doublings in grey.
- Triad note
- Substitute
- Added
- Anchored root
- Bass
- Doubling
Frets x 10 11 9 11 xNotes A𝄫 D♭ F♭ B♭Intervals 𝄫7 ♭3 ♭5 1Base triadB♭ diminished, 1st inversion
The 𝄫7th gets a string of its own.
Frets x x 2 3 2 3Notes F♭ B♭ D♭ A𝄫Intervals ♭5 1 ♭3 𝄫7Base triadB♭ diminished, 2nd inversion
The 𝄫7th gets a string of its own.
Frets x 1 2 0 2 0Notes B♭ F♭ A𝄫 D♭Intervals 1 ♭5 𝄫7 ♭3Base triadB♭ diminished, 2nd inversion
The root drops to the string below the triad. The 𝄫7th takes the root’s string.
Frets 3 4 2 3 x xNotes A𝄫 D♭ F♭ B♭Intervals 𝄫7 ♭3 ♭5 1Base triadB♭ diminished, 1st inversion
The 𝄫7th gets a string of its own.
Frets x x 5 6 5 6Notes A𝄫 D♭ F♭ B♭Intervals 𝄫7 ♭3 ♭5 1Base triadB♭ diminished, 1st inversion
The 𝄫7th gets a string of its own.
Frets 6 7 8 6 8 0Notes F♭ B♭ D♭ A𝄫Intervals ♭5 1 ♭3 𝄫7Base triadB♭ diminished, 2nd inversion
The 𝄫7th gets a string of its own.
Frets 6 7 5 6 x xNotes B♭ F♭ A𝄫 D♭Intervals 1 ♭5 𝄫7 ♭3Base triadB♭ diminished, 2nd inversion
The root drops to the string below the triad. The 𝄫7th takes the root’s string.
Frets x x 8 9 8 9Notes B♭ F♭ A𝄫 D♭Intervals 1 ♭5 𝄫7 ♭3Base triadB♭ diminished, 2nd inversion
The root drops to the string below the triad. The 𝄫7th takes the root’s string.
The construction rules B♭°7 follows
Start from a triad
Root, 3rd and 5th, stacked in thirds. The 3rd makes it major or minor; the 5th makes it diminished or augmented when it moves.
A third on top makes a 7th chord
A major 7th over a major triad is maj7, a ♭7 is a dominant 7. Over minor you get m7 or m(maj7); over diminished, m7♭5 or the °7, whose 7th is lowered twice.
On guitar, something has to give
Each extension takes the string of a triad note that matters less, usually the 5th, or gets a string of its own. The root and 3rd stay: they say what the chord is.
The root can move down
When an extension needs the root’s string, the root can drop to the string below the triad: an anchored voicing keeps the bass and frees a string on top.
All the rules, with examples, in the guide to the chord library.
Diminished 7th in every key
More chords on B♭
B♭°7 chord questions
What notes are in B♭°7?
B♭°7 is spelled B♭ D♭ F♭ A𝄫: B♭ is the root, D♭ is the ♭3rd, F♭ is the ♭5th, A𝄫 is the 𝄫7th.
What is the formula of B♭°7?
1 ♭3 ♭5 𝄫7. It is a B♭ diminished triad with the 𝄫7th stacked on top.
How many ways can you play B♭°7 on guitar?
This page shows 8 voicings of B♭°7, filed under the five CAGED shapes and named by inversion, from the open position up to the 16th fret.