Bm7

Bm7 is B, D, F# and A, a minor seventh. The shape this page opens on is written x24232, lowest string first.

Also written Bmin7, B-7 or B minor 7. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 6 common shapes for Bm7 on the guitar, and 38 derived voicings in 4 families.

In which keys. Every note of Bm7 belongs to D major (the vi), E minor (the v), F# minor (the iv), G major (the iii), A major (the ii) and B minor (the i).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x24232, xx4435, 797777, x-x-9-11-10-10, x-14-12-14-12-x, x-14-12-14-15-x.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. Bm7 has x202xx, 757xxx, x-14-12-14-x-x, x2x23x, 7x77xx, x-14-x-14-15-x, 7x02xx, 7-12-12-x-x-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Bm7 has 2202xx, x2423x, xx0202, xx4435, 5544xx, xx7777, 7977xx, x-x-9-11-10-10.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Bm7 has 2x020x, x2x232, 5x443x, x5x475, x-9-x-7-10-7, 7x777x, 10-x-9-11-10-x, x-12-x-11-12-10.

Open string. An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful. Bm7 has x24230, 7x7770, 554400, 5x4430, x57470, x00600.

Tensions. A shell of Bm7, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 9 (C#), the 11 (E) and the 13 (G#).

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.