BbmMaj7 arpeggio
Bb Minor-major 7 — the notes Bb, Db, F, A played one at a time, bottom-up and back.
Musical context
How the arpeggio relates to the chord, scale, mode and key.
How to play the arpeggio
Theory
General info
- Full name
- Bb Minor-major 7
- Root
- Bb
- Quality
- Minor-major 7
- Type
- Minor-major seventh
- Note count
- 4
- Brief character
- Dark, mysterious sound — cinematic minor. Major seventh over minor creates an unusual contrast — "mysteriousness".
Mysterious, "noir", tensely beautiful. Mystery, cinematic drama, inner conflict.
Recognized by the "conflict" of minor third and major seventh.
Notes & degrees
Minor triad + major seventh: 1-b3-5-7.
On the piano
An arpeggio is a broken chord: the same notes played one after another rather than together, bottom-up and back. On the piano they are usually split between the two hands — in an accompaniment, for instance, the left hand carries the bass while the right fills in the figuration.
Any chord can be played arpeggiato or turned into figuration — a broken bass, Alberti figures, a waltz accompaniment. Unlike the guitar, where an arpeggio is tied to the order the strings are plucked, there is no fixed fingering “shape” here — evenness and legato between the notes matter most.
Chord basis
From m7: major (not minor) seventh. From maj7: b3 instead of 3.
Function and tensions
i(maj7) — descending chromatic line in minor (i-imaj7-i7-i6).
Transitional — part of the minor chromatic cliché.
Harmonic context
i(maj7) in chromatic cliché. III+ of harmonic minor.
Harmonic minor, melodic minor.
Melodic minor lends a noir colour in solos.
Compatible scales & modes
All chord tones are contained in these scales — use them for improvisation.
Diatonic chords
This arpeggio on guitar 🎸
See how BbmMaj7 looks on guitar.
Circle of fifths
Keys where this chord functions as a scale degree, on the circle of fifths.
How to play on piano
Practice
Keyboard Trainer
Reinforce it in practice — play and name notes on the interactive keyboard.