Chords in the Key of Bb Minor
Every diatonic triad and seventh chord in Bb minor, with the progressions built from them. Free. No sign-up.
Key facts
Diatonic triads
Seventh chords
Stack one more scale tone on each triad and you get the seventh chords — same key, more color.
| Degree | Chord | Quality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | Bbm7 | minor 7th | Bb · Db · F · Ab |
| iiø7 | Cm7b5 | half-diminished | C · Eb · Gb · Bb |
| IIImaj7 | Dbmaj7 | major 7th | Db · F · Ab · C |
| iv7 | Ebm7 | minor 7th | Eb · Gb · Bb · Db |
| v7 | Fm7 | minor 7th | F · Ab · C · Eb |
| VImaj7 | Gbmaj7 | major 7th | Gb · Bb · Db · F |
| VII7 | Ab7 | dominant 7th | Ab · C · Eb · Gb |
Common progressions in Bb minor
i–VI–III–VII
Bbm – Gb – Db – Ab
The minor pop loop — same four chords as the major axis, started from the minor side.
i–iv–v
Bbm – Ebm – Fm
The minor blues shape — all three chords stay minor in the natural scale.
i–VII–VI
Bbm – Ab – Gb
The descending rock lament, one whole step at a time.
i–iv–VII–III
Bbm – Ebm – Ab – Db
A circle-of-fifths descent — each root falls a fifth to the next.
How the key of Bb minor works
Bb Minor carries five flats (Bb, Eb, Ab, Db and Gb). The scale runs Bb–C–Db–Eb–F–Gb–Ab, and stacking every other note of that scale builds the seven chords above — every chord tone comes from those same seven notes.
Db Major is the relative major: identical key signature, identical seven chords. Treat Db — the III chord here — as home base and you are in Db major without changing a note.
The parallel major, Bb Major, keeps the same root but raises the third, sixth, and seventh — its signature shifts to two flats (Bb and Eb). Moving a section from minor to parallel major is one of the oldest brightness tricks in songwriting.
Keep practicing
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