Banjo B♭7 chord (C Tuning)B♭ seventh on the 5-string banjo: 2 1 3 3, and 5 more shapes

Bb7 chord chart for 5-string banjo in C Tuning tuning: 2 1 3 3, first position, with the short 5th string marked
Bb7 (Bb seventh) on the 5-string banjo, C Tuning: 2 1 3 3, string 4 to string 1 (no root). Fingers are numbered on the dots; copper marks the root; the green ring on the left is the 5th string, solid when it’s in the chord.

Frets, string 4 to string 1: 2 1 3 3 (first position) · no root

  1. String 4 (C): 2nd fret, middle finger, D
  2. String 3 (G): 1st fret, index finger, A♭
  3. String 2 (B): 3rd fret, ring finger, D
  4. String 1 (D): 3rd fret, little finger, F
  5. String 5, the short g: open, G, not in the chord

Sounds: D A♭ D F  ·  B♭7 is B♭, D, F, A♭ (1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7)

The 5th string: the short g rubs against the A♭ in this shape, a semitone away: some players let it ring, some skip it.

With a capo: on the 3rd fret it’s 2 0 0 3 (frets counted from the capo), an open G7 shape. Spike the 5th string at the 8th fret to keep it in tune with the capo.

C Tuning tuning: gCGBD, the short 5th string first, then strings 4 to 1.

Hear it in the app ›

The link can’t set the tuning: the app starts in open G. Choose C Tuning once in its Settings and it remembers.

More B♭7 shapes

  1. 3fr3114gFB♭DA♭5 3 3 6
    3fr
  2. 6fr3214gA♭DFB♭8 7 6 8
    6fr
  3. 9fr231gB♭FA♭D10 10 9 0
    9fr
  4. 11fr4312gDA♭B♭D14 13 11 12
    11fr · no 5th
  5. 13fr2134gDA♭DF14 13 15 15
    13fr · no root

Other B♭ chords in C Tuning

B♭B♭mB♭7B♭m7B♭maj7B♭6B♭sus4B♭sus2B♭dimB♭aug

Other seventh chords

G7A7D7C7B7E7F7B♭7E♭7F♯7C♯7A♭7

B♭7 in other tunings

Open GDouble CSawmillOpen D

All C Tuning banjo chords · Printable chart (PDF) · How to tune · The app