bVIImaj7

bVIImaj7 is a chord built on the flatted seventh degree of a key, with a major seventh added above the root. In functional terms, the “b” indicates a note lowered from the key’s diatonic seventh scale degree, and the maj7 quality means the triad is major with a major seventh interval above the root. The result is a four-note chord: root, major third, perfect fifth, and major seventh.

Construction and examples help illustrate its spellings. In C major, the flatted seventh degree is Bb, so the bVIImaj7 chord is Bbmaj7, spelled Bb–D–F–A. In G major, the flatted seventh is F, giving Fmaj7 (F–A–C–E). In minor keys, the subtonic concept can yield chords like Gmaj7 in A natural minor, though such color is often treated as a borrowed or modal mixture color rather than a strict diatonic chord.

Function and common progressions. The bVIImaj7 commonly serves as a coloristic substitute or pre-dominant color, often resolving to I or moving to IV or ii–V contours in jazz and pop. Its major seventh adds a smoother, more contemplative hue than a plain dominant seventh, contributing to a open, spacious sound.

Relation to other chords. It is distinct from bVII7, which contains a dominant seventh (a minor seventh interval) instead of a major seventh. The bVIImaj7 is frequently discussed in the context of modal mixture, parallel minor harmony, or Mixolydian-leaning color in various genres.