Bmmaj7b5

BmMaj7b5 is B, D, F and A#, a minor major seven flat five. The shape this page opens on is written x2333x, lowest string first.

Also written BmM7b5 or Bm(maj7)b5. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 6 common shapes for BmMaj7b5 on the guitar, and 37 derived voicings in 4 families.

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x2333x, 78x766, 7887x7, x-x-9-10-11-10, x-14-x-15-15-13, x-14-15-15-15-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. BmMaj7b5 has x2x331, x2036x, 7x036x, 7x876x, x-14-x-15-15-13, 7-5-8-10-x-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. BmMaj7b5 has 1203xx, xx0301, x2333x, xx8767, 7887xx, x-x-9-10-11-10, x-14-15-15-15-x, xx3436.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. BmMaj7b5 has 1x030x, x2x331, 6x343x, x5x466, 7x876x, x-8-x-7-11-7, 10-x-9-10-11-x, x-13-x-10-12-10.

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. BmMaj7b5 has x23330, 653400, 6x3430, 6x0060, xx0066, xx0360.

Tensions. A shell of BmMaj7b5, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 11 (E) and the b13 (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.