Bm7 cavaquinho chord
Bm7 (B minor seventh) is built from B, D, F# and A, the degrees 1–b3–5–b7. On cavaquinho, the main shape is 4 4 3 7, the first diagram, marked with the star.
Put on a lo-fi playlist. Ten seconds. There — you just heard a chord like this one. Bm7 is the minor chord with its jacket off: still serious, but done making a point of it.
Hear Bm7 before you play
Why Bm7 sounds this way
The recipe: take the BmBmBmBm you know — B, D, F# — and add A on top. Play the arpeggio again, no rush and wait for the fourth note. It doesn't make the chord happy; it takes the weight off its shoulders. That's why bossa nova, neo-soul and the whole of R&B live here.
How to play Bm7 on cavaquinho
On the cavaquinho, four steel strings tuned D–G–B–D pack the chord into a small, bright space — every finger counts. So start with the first position below — it's the main shape — that's why it carries the ⭐. Four notes sharing the same space, so there's one rule: every single one has to ring. Play it slowly, listen for each voice. A muffled chord here is a double waste.
In the app: 13 Bm7 shapes on cavaquinho
With the fingering and audio of each one, free. In the app, the arpeggio of each shape is part of Pro.
Precision Tuner: Get in tune before you play: chromatic tuner and reference tones, free in standard tuning · open in Chord and Fret
Mid-neck positions are the favorites of anyone backing a singer: they leave the treble free for the voice. File it away for that day.
Left-handed? Mirror's right here
Bm7 notes and degrees
Bm7 stacks the root B, the minor third D, the perfect fifth F# and the minor seventh A.
Where Bm7 shows up
Here's the backstage secret: Bm7's classic job is being the ii — the first piece of the ii–V–I, the most-used sentence in jazz and everything jazz ever touched. Across keys you'll find it as v7 in E minor, iv7 in F# minor, i7 in B minor. In other words: this chord is almost never standing still; it's setting something up.
Transpose & Capo: Need it in another key? Transpose the progression for free; finding the best capo is part of Pro · see it in Chord and Fret
Identify Chord: Found a shape on your fretboard? Mark it on the screen and the app names the chord, 5 times a day for free · use it in Chord and Fret
Where Bm7 usually goes
Treating Bm7 as the home chord (i) of a minor key, it tends to go toward the pre-dominant (Em7) or the dominant (F#7, from harmonic minor), and the dominant pulls back home. It's a tendency, not a law.
Going beyond Bm7
For improvising, B Dorian (B C# D E F# G# A · 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7: the minor scale with a major sixth — the minor that smirks); B Aeolian (B C# D E F# G A · 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7: the natural minor, the major scale's relative sibling); B Dorian ♭2 (B C D E F# G# A · 1 b2 b3 4 5 6 b7: a dorian with a lowered second) contain the whole chord. And the jazz shapes at the bottom are these same four notes rearranged across the neck: same chord, arranger's tailoring.
B Dorian
In the app: the 7 positions of B Dorian on cavaquinho
With degree, note and finger labels on each one, free. Playing the whole scale is part of Pro.
The same B Dorian in its main shapes along the neck — pick whichever position sits under your hand. The rings mark the guide notes (the 3rd and 7th) that carry this chord's color.
Scale: The scale's positions across the neck, with degree, note and finger labels, free; playing the scale and the tempo-ramp exercise are part of Pro · open in Chord and Fret
Scales to improvise over Bm7
To improvise over Bm7 as home, the B Aeolian scale fits entirely: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want. And when the dominant (F#) pulls back, the leading tone Bb is the note that wants to resolve home.
Swaps that work:
Reharmonize: Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize's Subtle and Medium levels are free; Bold and Jazz are part of Pro · try it in Chord and Fret
Remember I said it's setting something up? This is it: E7. Play Bm7 → E7 and you've just built half a ii–V — the gear that's been turning jazz for a hundred years.
Bm7 chord questions
What notes are in the Bm7 chord?
The Bm7 chord is made of the notes B, D, F# and A.
How do you play Bm7 on cavaquinho?
Form the shape from string 4 to string 1: 4 4 3 7. The shape starts at fret 3.
What chord comes after Bm7?
Treating Bm7 as the home chord (i) of a minor key, it tends to go toward the pre-dominant (Em7) or the dominant (F#7, from harmonic minor), and the dominant pulls back home. It's a tendency, not a law.
What scale works over Bm7?
To improvise over Bm7 as home, the B Aeolian scale fits entirely: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want.