Bmaj7 Chord on Ukulele
Bmaj7 = B – D# – F# – A# (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, Major 7th)
Take plain B major and picture removing the ring finger's reach up to the fourth fret; Bmaj7 fills the gap that leaves with a second, higher barre instead, pairing the G and C strings at the third fret against the lower barre already holding the E and A strings at the second. Nothing in this chord rings open — it trades B major's single stretched finger for a slightly wider hand shape spread over two barres, which puts every one of the chord's four notes, B, D#, F#, and A#, under deliberate finger control rather than leaving any of them to chance.
What A# adds to this chord is a major seventh sitting just a half-step under the octave, and that closeness is what keeps Bmaj7 from ever sounding fully settled — it lingers rather than lands, which is exactly the quality composers reach for when a tonic chord needs to feel open-ended rather than final. As the I chord of B major, it dresses up the tonic with that lingering color instead of a flat resolution, and as the IV chord of F# major it's a favorite stand-in wherever a ballad or neo-soul arrangement wants warmth on the subdominant rather than a plain triad. Bmaj7's reliance on two separate barres rather than any ringing open string gives it a compact, contained warmth, distinct from the more diffuse shimmer a chord built around open strings tends to carry. Because both fretted pairs sit relatively high on the neck compared to some of the other B-family shapes, the chord's overall pitch also sits a touch brighter in the ear than its plain triad counterpart, on top of its harmonic color.
Fingerings
Open Position
How to Practice It
Isolate each barre before asking the hand to hold both: strum only the E and A strings with the lower barre at the second fret and confirm they ring evenly, then separately strum only the G and C strings with the higher barre at the third fret. The distance between the two fingers, one fret apart along the neck, is the part that actually needs rehearsal, since the fret spacing itself is tight even though the hand has to keep the two barres from colliding. Once both hold steady together, alternate between plain B major and Bmaj7 slowly, noticing that the ring finger's old fourth-fret reach disappears entirely and gets replaced by that second barre — a bigger change in hand shape than the single added note might suggest on paper. If the two barres feel cramped together at first, try practicing them on a slightly wider hand angle than usual, since the natural instinct to keep the wrist straight can actually work against the small separation this shape needs.
Common Progressions
- Imaj7 – IV, a jazzier tonic in the key of B (Bmaj7 – E)
- IVmaj7 in the key of F# (F# – Bmaj7 – C#)
- Imaj7 – vi – ii – V (Bmaj7 – G#m – C#m – F#7)
- Bmaj7 substitutes for plain B wherever a song wants added shimmer without changing its harmonic role.
FAQ
- Why does Bmaj7 need two barres instead of one plus a stretch?
- Its four notes split into two pairs at two different frets, so covering each pair with its own small barre is more efficient than trying to fret four separate notes individually with no open strings to fall back on.
- How does Bmaj7 differ in feel from plain B major?
- B major uses a stretch up to the fourth fret with the ring finger, while Bmaj7 replaces that reach with a second barre one fret lower, giving the two shapes a noticeably different hand position despite sharing most of their notes.
- Where does Bmaj7 fit in a progression?
- As the I chord of B major it offers a jazzier tonic than a plain triad, and as the IV chord of F# major it's a common substitution in ballad and soul-influenced arrangements wanting extra warmth.
- What's the best way to learn this double-barre shape?
- Practice each barre in isolation first, the lower one across the E and A strings and the higher one across the G and C strings, before attempting to hold both together.
- Does Bmaj7 ever get simplified to a three-finger version?
- Not without losing a note, since all four strings are needed to spell the full major seventh chord — but a player who wants a lighter touch can fret each pair with two separate fingers instead of a barre, if that feels steadier.
Bmaj7 on other instruments: Bmaj7 on Guitar, Bmaj7 on Piano. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.