Voicings · B°7 · Guitar
B°7 is spelled B – D – F – A♭ (1 ♭3 ♭5 ?) — passing chords between diatonic chords, and as a 7♭9 without its root. Here are 3 ways to voice it on guitar: drop 2, drop 3, shell. Every diagram is playable — press play to hear the chord, or “roll it” to hear the voices one by one, low to high.
The voicings
Take the close voicing and drop its second-highest voice an octave. The most-used four-note voicing on guitar and in piano left hands. Strings D-G-B-e, frets 3-4-3-4.
Drop the third-highest voice of the close voicing an octave: a wide, open sound. Strings A-G-B-e, frets 5-4-6-4 (position 2).
Root, seventh and third only. The fifth is dropped — it adds nothing to the chord's identity — leaving a light, clear voicing. Strings A-G-B, frets 2-1-3.
Reference
| Chord tone | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | unison |
| ♭3 | D | minor 3rd |
| ♭5 | F | tritone |
| ? | A♭ | major 6th |
Arpeggio: B°7 arpeggio on guitar. Scale: B Diminished (whole–half).
Common questions
B, D, F, A♭ — chord tones 1 ♭3 ♭5 ?.
The shell voicing (root, seventh, third) on strings A, G, B: three notes, one comfortable shape, and it still sounds unmistakably like B°7.
Start from the close voicing B D F A♭ and drop the second note from the top an octave: F – B – D – A♭. It spreads the chord so it fits the hand — and on guitar it fits four adjacent strings.
B°7 is passing chords between diatonic chords, and as a 7♭9 without its root. Its character is symmetrical, restless.
Keep going
Same chord on piano · Diminished 7th hub.
Other chords from B