Article
How to Read Guitar Chord Diagrams
Learn how to read guitar chord diagrams quickly. Understand dots, numbers, Xs, Os, and finger positions so you can play any chord chart at sight.
B♭min/maj7/A guitar shapes
Popular fretboard positions with fingering suggestions
Showing 8 of 58 playable shapes
About the chord
B♭ minor major 7th / A (3rd inversion)
The B♭ minor major 7th minor major 7th chord merges the minor triad with a major seventh A, creating a haunting, unresolved dissonance. This combination of minor melancholy and major dissonance adds dramatic tension, perfect for mysterious or cinematic soundscapes. With A in the bass, this voicing functions as the 3rd inversion of B♭ minor major 7th.
Root note: B♭
Bass note: A
Chord tones: 4
Playable shapes: 58
Chord tones
B♭D♭FA
Notes & Intervals
Each note below shows how the chord is built from its root. This is the theory layer underneath the fretboard shapes.
B♭ Unison (Root) 1
The root anchors the chord and defines its tonal center.
D♭ Minor Third ♭3
This note supplies the minor color and gives the chord its darker emotional pull.
F Perfect Fifth 5
The fifth reinforces stability and gives the chord its strong harmonic frame.
A Major Seventh 7
The major seventh adds a smooth, lush tension close to the root.
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