B7
B Dominant 7th — the engine of harmonic motion — the tritone between its third and seventh drives resolution down a fifth.
The keys
B – D♯ – F♯ – A
What's inside B7
| Note | Interval from root | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| B | Root | 1 |
| D♯ | Major 3rd | 3 |
| F♯ | Perfect 5th | 5 |
| A | Minor 7th | b7 |
Inversions
| Position | Keys (low → high) |
|---|---|
| Root position | B4 – E♭5 – G♭5 – A5 |
| 1st inversion | E♭5 – G♭5 – A5 – B5 |
| 2nd inversion | G♭5 – A5 – B5 – E♭6 |
| 3rd inversion | A5 – B5 – E♭6 – G♭6 |
A working voicing
Split the chord between two hands the way working players do — a solid shell low down, the colour tones up top:
| Hand | Keys |
|---|---|
| Left (shell) | B2 – A3 |
| Right (colour) | E♭5 – G♭5 |
Where B7 lives
Resolving down a fifth
B7 → E
The defining dominant move: the tritone inside this chord releases onto the chord a fifth below.
In a ii–V–I
G♭m7 → B7 → Emaj7
This chord as the V — the engine of the most-used cadence in music.
Put B7 under your fingers
Hear every voicing, see the keys light up, and drill it in the interactive Chord & Voicing Lab.
Open the Chord & Voicing Lab →