In its regular form (root position) the B-flat chord includes 3 notes: Bb, D, and F. See below for a diagram on which notes are included. You will play a Bb major chord simply by pressing down the 3 notes in the triad simultaneously. Now let’s get into the details of the Bb chord! In this post, of course, we will be exploring the flat spelling of this chord. No one likes trying to read or write double sharps, and the A# chord features two of these. It goes without saying that most pianists (and any instrumentalists, for that matter) will prefer the Bb spelling. However, the spelling of these two chords are different. Your hand will be in the same place when you play both of these chords. So in a sense, like I said, Bb & A# chords are the same because they use the same exact notes. (Want to learn more about flats and sharps? See this video). Flats always go a half step down and sharps a half step up. The note Bb can also be A# (since it is both a half step UP from A and a half step DOWN from B). I know this might be confusing, but every black key on the piano has TWO names. The A# major and Bb major chords are the same physical chord but with different spellings. Because Bb is a black note, it has two names. Now, before going further, we need to talk about an important topic. If that sounds confusing, don’t worry! I’ll put it in beginner terms soon and show you lots of keyboard diagrams to help you out. 🙂Īnyway, the B-flat chord is basically just a chord in the family of major chords, made up of 3 notes in what’s called a triad. It is formed the same as any other major chord – by building a major third and then a minor third on top of that. This is an acceptable way to write it, but a little harder to follow especially in a post like this. That is why it is easiest to always write the first B capitalized, and the flat lower case. When you see the term “Bb” this is an abbreviation for B Flat. A “b” is a flat sign in music theory.īb in written form looks the strangest of all the flat chords because it is two B’s right next to each other. It is really not too hard to learn! I’ll teach you lots of tips as you get started. The key of B flat (aka Bb) only two flats: Bb and Eb. It has the least amount of flats out of all the flat chords (and flat keys, for that matter!) The B flat chord is such an interesting chord to learn.

B flat major 7 chords