Bmaj7#5

Bmaj7#5 is B, D#, G and A#, a major seven sharp five. The shape this page opens on is written x21303, lowest string first.

Also written BM7#5, BΔ7#5, B+M7 or Bmaj7(#5). The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 8 common shapes for Bmaj7#5 on the guitar, and 26 derived voicings in 3 families.

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x21303, x2534x, xx5446, 76808x, xx9886, 7x8887, x-x-9-12-11-11, x-14-13-12-11-11.

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#5 has x2x343, 7x888x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Bmaj7#5 has 3213xx, x1100x, xx1303, xx5446, 6654xx, xx8887, x-13-13-12-12-x, 15-14-13-15-x-x.

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#5 has 3x130x, x2x343, x6x486, 6x544x, x-10-x-8-11-7, 7x888x, 11-x-9-12-11-x, x-13-x-12-12-11.

Tensions. A shell of Bmaj7#5, 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.