Scale degrees · B major

The ♭7 of B is A

The ♭7 (flat seven, written b7) of B is A: a minor seventh above the root.

B — the root, 1A — the ♭7

How to find it

Count letters first, the root included: B, C, D, E, F, G, A. A 7th lands on A.

Then the sound: a minor seventh is 10 semitones above B, which is exactly where A is — no sharp or flat needed.

Where you meet it

The ♭7 is the 7th of the dominant chord and of the minor seventh chord, and the note that turns the major scale into Mixolydian.

In B7:

B · D♯ · F♯ · A

The ♭7 in every key

KeyThe ♭7
CB♭
GF
DC
AG
ED
BA
F♯E
D♭C♭
A♭G♭
E♭D♭
B♭A♭
FE♭

Every degree of B

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