The actual kit that went around the world in the World in Six Strings footage. Sixteen months, twelve locations, about $900 all in.
From a theoretical point of view, The B7 chord is a seventh or tetrad chord. This chord is formed from the major B chord and the minor seventh. Therefore, the four chord notes are the fundamental, the major third, the just fifth and the minor seventh. In this case, the fundamental is B and, therefore, the notes of the chord are:
This gives it a melodic sound usually heard in jazz, flamenco or rock, and depending on which chords are played in succession, it usually serves as a dissonant chord. This B7 chord on the guitar can be played in different parts of the fretboard, some harder with a barre chord technique, and some using open and muted strings.
Bottom Line Up Top: In this article, I will go over five different ways of playing a B7 chord on a Guitar and four different ways on a Ukelele. I will outline its importance, what chord it usually resolves to, songs that include it, and valuable tips for learning it the first time around.
Related: How to Read Guitar Chords?
The B7 is basically a simple B Major chord with an added flat seventh. You can see this clearly in the second way I will list for playing this chord.
I'll start from the bottom of the fretboard and move up through the different positions. As with most guitar chord explanations, fingers will be numbered 1 to 4, index finger being 1, pinkie being 4. These chords consider having your guitar in a standard EADGBE tuning.
This way is one of the easiest and bigger sounding ways of playing B7 on a guitar. one of my favourites, as we have to mute fewer other strings. When jumping quickly to this chord, my recommendation is setting up the "shape" of fingers 1,2 and 3, and then placing 4.
This might make it a bit harder to make it sound clean than other positions, but is is quite common due to the ease of setting it up. If you're going to pluck it and not strum it, you can decide not to play the F# that rings out on the high E string:
B7 on 7th fret, as if we were doing a barre Bm on 7th, but removing our fourth finger or pinkie.
This is a different, slightly smaller sounding B major seventh. You won't usually be playing this voicing if you are a
The reason I haven't mentioned this one before is that you will very rarely use it. It does, however, stretch your hand out and has a quite unique sound to it. It sounds very jazzy and soft but is hard to play quickly or clean.
These are not all, but most of the different variations on playing a B7 on a guitar. Now let's see how to play it on the ukelele.
B7, I find is even a more common chord on the ukelele than on the guitar- at least that's what I've found playing both instruments for a while now. Though it is true that I don't play the ukelele as much, it is a fun and light instrument to carry with you on the go. All these chord voicings are considered your ukelele is in standard tuning (GCEA).
This is the most common way of playing B7 on the ukelele, as barre chords on the ukelele are generally considered more comfortable than on a guitar. This position is also similar to playing a D chord. In alternate notation, this is a 2-3-2-2.
This lets the A ring out and is not a barred chord. Some consider this positioning a bit harder than the previous one, but I personally prefer it. In alternate notation, this is a 4-3-2-0.
This will be a bit difficult for those of you that, like me, have big hands or chubby fingers. It is hard to form it quickly and make sure it rings clearly. In alternate notation, this is a 4-6-5-6.
This is the hardest of all positions, first because of the big hands' factor, and secondly, because as a guitarist, it triggers your muscle memory to form a typical Dmin (on the ukelele) or Emin (on the guitar) but breaking it up a bit. In alternate notation, this is an 8-9-7-8.
You won't find many pop songs with a B7 chord in them, but you will find many blues, jazz and rockabilly songs. It's just not a "
The following scales are suitable not only for B7 but for any dominant 7th chord. You can also mix it with major scales if you don't play the minor seventh, which pulls us towards a resolution down a perfect fifth or up a perfect fourth. Here are some scales you should check out:
Answer: It depends on if barre chords are hard for you or not, but I'd say the second way outlined above, as a barre chord on 2nd fret, for its similarity to a regular B major shape.
Answer: It depends on the chords surrounding it, but, being the fifth chord in the E major scale, its tension resolves to E as the root note.
Answer: You will probably find B7 in genres like Jazz, Blues, Flamenco or Soul.
Answer: Those would be the first, subdominant and dominant- 1, 4 and 5. In the key of C, it would be C, F, G and then to C again.
Answer: E would be the most common key, although you can also find many blues progressions played in A.
B Major seventh will not be the first chord progression you will learn. It is, however, a practical and slightly dark sounding chord. If you are a blues lover or you intend to dive into jazz, the chord chart in this article is definitely something you should study very well.
These voicings of B7 are probably for intermediate/advanced level players, and even then, they are not easy chords to switch to. Try to play around with the sound or shape you enjoy the most, and then try improvising to a simple chord progression with B7, even if it's just B7-E.
The actual kit that went around the world in the World in Six Strings footage. Sixteen months, twelve locations, about $900 all in.
Ever hit a G chord that feels bright and settled, then swap to G7, and suddenly it sounds a little…expectant? Like it’s leaning forward, waiting for the next page to turn. That “unsettled” sound is the whole point. G7 is a dominant seventh chord built from G (Root), B (Major 3rd), D (Perfect 5th), and […]
The first time I met B7, my hand froze. Four fingers, tight spacing, and one tiny mistake makes half the chord go dull. That is why I call B7 the Gateway Chord. It pushes your fingers to work as a team. You will hear it in Blues, Folk, Classic Rock, Jazz, and even acoustic metal […]