Chord & FretHarmonic field of Bb major
The harmonic field of Bb major is the set of seven chords born from the Bb major scale — one on each of its notes. The table shows each in two versions: the triad (the three-note chord) and the seventh chord (the same chord with a fourth note, the seventh, that enriches it).
Notes: Bb – C – D – Eb – F – G – A| Degree | Triad | Seventh | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Bb | Bbmaj7Bbmaj7Bbmaj7Bbmaj7 | tonic |
| ii | Cm | Cm7Cm7Cm7Cm7 | subdominant |
| iii | Dm | Dm7Dm7Dm7Dm7 | tonic |
| IV | Eb | Ebmaj7Ebmaj7Ebmaj7Ebmaj7 | subdominant |
| V | F | F7F7F7F7 | dominant |
| vi | Gm | Gm7Gm7Gm7Gm7 | tonic |
| vii° | A° | Am7b5 | dominant |
The roman numerals mark the chord's position in the scale: I is the first degree, V the fifth. Uppercase = major chord; lowercase = minor; ° = diminished.
Tonic chords stabilize and rest; subdominant chords prepare motion; dominant chords build the tension that asks for resolution.
The tonic chord on all four instruments
In Chord & Fret, open the Circle of Fifths, pick Bb major and hear every degree — triads and sevenths, with fretboard positions and the key's secondary dominants. Open in Chord & Fret →