Bmaj7

Bmaj7 is B, D#, F# and A#, a major seventh. The shape this page opens on is written x24342, lowest string first.

Also written BM7, BΔ7, BΔ, Bma7 or B major 7. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 7 common shapes for Bmaj7 on the guitar, and 28 derived voicings in 3 families.

In which keys. Every note of Bmaj7 belongs to Eb minor (the ♭VI), F# major (the IV), Ab minor (the ♭III) and B major (the I).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x24342, xxx446, xx4446, 798877, x-x-9-11-11-11, x-14-13-11-11-11, x-14-13-15-12-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. Bmaj7 has x213xx, 768xxx, x-14-13-15-x-x, x2x34x, 7x88xx.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Bmaj7 has 2213xx, xx1302, x2434x, xx4446, 6644xx, xx8877, 7988xx, x-x-9-11-11-11.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Bmaj7 has 2x130x, x2x342, x6x476, 6x444x, x-9-x-8-11-7, 7x887x, 11-x-9-11-11-x, x-13-x-11-12-11.

Tensions. A shell of Bmaj7, 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.