PorchtoneQuick answer: the seven chords in B♭ major are B♭, Cm, Dm, E♭, F, Gm, A°. The strongest are B♭, E♭ and F (the I, IV and V); most songs in B♭ lean on those.
The chords
| B♭IB♭ D F | CmiiC E♭ G | DmiiiD F A | E♭IVE♭ G B♭ | FVF A C | GmviG B♭ D | A°vii°A C E♭ |
Progressions that sound good in B♭
- Pop anthemB♭ – F – Gm – E♭ (I V vi IV)
Big, hopeful, singable. One of the most used progressions in pop.
- SensitiveGm – E♭ – B♭ – F (vi IV I V)
The same four chords starting on the minor: wistful, then lifting.
- FiftiesB♭ – Gm – E♭ – F (I vi IV V)
Doo-wop and slow-dance warmth.
- LiftE♭ – B♭ – F – Gm (IV I V vi)
Starts away from home, so it feels like it is always reaching.
- Slow burnB♭ – Dm – E♭ – F (I iii IV V)
Tender, with a gentle ache on the iii chord.
- HymnB♭ – E♭ – B♭ – F (I IV I V)
Plain and honest; leaves room for the words.
- Three chordsB♭ – E♭ – F (I IV V)
The backbone of folk, country and rock and roll.
- HighwayB♭ – A♭ – E♭ – B♭ (I bVII IV I)
Open-road rock: the borrowed ♭VII gives it swagger.
- HeartlandB♭ – A♭ – E♭ – E♭ (I bVII IV IV)
Jangly, wide-open guitar rock.
- 12-bar bluesB♭7 – B♭7 – B♭7 – B♭7 – E♭7 – E♭7 – B♭7 – B♭7 – F7 – E♭7 – B♭7 – F7 (I7 I7 I7 I7 IV7 IV7 I7 I7 V7 IV7 I7 V7)
Twelve bars that most of rock and roll grew out of.
- Two-five-oneCm7 – F7 – B♭maj7 (ii7 V7 Imaj7)
The basic cadence of jazz standards.
Playing in B♭ with a capo
If the barre chords in B♭ are a stretch, put a capo on and play easier open shapes. The song still sounds in B♭.
| Capo | Play these shapes |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | A, Bm, D♭m, D, E, G♭m (shapes from A) |
| Fret 3 | G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em (shapes from G) |
| Fret 6 | E, G♭m, A♭m, A, B, D♭m (shapes from E) |
Related keys
B♭ major shares all its chords with its relative minor, G minor. Its closest neighbours are F major and E♭ major, which share six of its seven notes and make easy key changes.