E9 pedal steel chord
B♭maj7 on pedal steel
B♭ major 7th (B-flat major 7th, Bbmaj7) · also written A♯maj7 · 486 voicings on standard E9
Easiest B♭maj7 on E9 pedal steel: bar on fret 6, no pedals, pick strings 2, 3 & 4 (A–D–B♭).
- B♭, root
- D, 3rd
- F, 5th
- A, 7th
Where you’ll hear it: Soft and sweet — ballads, bossa nova and 70s country-pop love to land on it.
Start here: 2 grips to learn first
Every move is described by what it does to the strings, so these work on any E9 guitar. If your levers are wired differently, use the one that makes the same change.
Fret 6 · no pedals
Easiest- Bar on fret 6 (or 18)
- No pedals or levers
- Pick strings 2 · 3 · 4 — A D B♭
Fret 8 · B + C pedals + D lever (half-stop)
Knee lever- Bar on fret 8 (or 20)
- Press the B pedal (G♯→A)
- Press the C pedal (E→F♯ + B→C♯)
- Push the D lever (half-stop) (D♯→D) — right knee, pushing right (RKR) on most guitars
- Pick strings 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 — B♭ F D A
Where you’ll play it
On a Nashville number chart, B♭maj7 shows up as:
More grips up the neck
Low neck · frets 0–7
Fret 6 · E→E♭ lever + D♯→E lever
- Bar on fret 6 (or 18)
- Push the E→E♭ lever — left knee, pushing right (LKR) on most guitars
- Push a lever that raises string 2 (D♯→E) — not on every guitar; right knee, pushing left (RKL) on most newer guitars
- Pick strings 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 — B♭ D A F
- Needs a lever that raises string 2 (D♯→E) — not on every guitar.
Fret 5 · B pedal + E→F lever + D♯→E lever
- Bar on fret 5 (or 17)
- Press the B pedal (G♯→A)
- Push the E→F lever — left knee, pushing left (LKL) on most guitars
- Push a lever that raises string 2 (D♯→E) — not on every guitar; right knee, pushing left (RKL) on most newer guitars
- Pick strings 2 · 3 · 4 — A D B♭
- Needs a lever that raises string 2 (D♯→E) — not on every guitar.
Fret 1 · A + B pedals + F♯→G♯ + D♯→E lever
- Bar on fret 1 (or 13)
- Press the A pedal (B→C♯)
- Press the B pedal (G♯→A)
- Push a lever that raises strings 1 (F♯→G♯) & 2 (D♯→E) — not on every guitar; right knee, pushing left (RKL) on most newer guitars
- Pick strings 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 — A F B♭ F D
- Needs a lever that raises strings 1 (F♯→G♯) & 2 (D♯→E) — not on every guitar.
Is your guitar set up differently?
Players wire their knee levers in different places, so this page names every change by what it does. Find the pedal or lever on your guitar that makes the same change — the name on yours doesn’t matter.
| Change | What it does · usually found |
|---|---|
| A pedalB→C♯ | Raises your B strings (5 & 10) a whole step to C♯.Usually: the A pedal on almost every E9 guitar |
| B pedalG♯→A | Raises your G♯ strings (3 & 6) a half step to A.Usually: the B pedal on almost every E9 guitar |
| C pedalE→F♯ + B→C♯ | Raises string 4 (E) to F♯ and string 5 (B) to C♯ — a whole step each.Usually: the C pedal on almost every E9 guitar |
| E→F leverE→F | Raises your E strings (4 & 8) a half step to F.Usually: left knee, pushing left (LKL) on most guitars |
| E→E♭ leverE→E♭ | Lowers your E strings (4 & 8) a half step to E♭.Usually: left knee, pushing right (LKR) on most guitars |
| F♯ & D♯ raise leverF♯→G♯ + D♯→E + G♯→F♯ | Raises string 1 (F♯) a whole step to G♯ and string 2 (D♯) a half step to E, and lowers string 6 (G♯) a whole step to F♯.Usually: right knee, pushing left (RKL) on most newer guitarsNot on every guitarOlder and student guitars often raise strings 1 & 7 F♯→G instead, and some players keep the 6th-string lower on another lever. |
| D lever (half-stop)D♯→D | Lowers string 2 (D♯) a half step to D at the half-stop; push on past it for C♯ with string 9.Usually: right knee, pushing right (RKR) on most guitars |
Pick your setup in Pedal Steel Atlas (it's free) — one of the built-in copedents, or your own exact one — and it re-voices every chord for your pedals and levers — open B♭maj7 in the app → or compare common setups.
How to read the diagrams
- Diamond = the root (the note the chord is named after). Other notes are colored by their job in the chord, like the chips above.
- Blue string = a pedal or lever changes it. The label on the left shows the new note (E→F).
- Dashed line = the bar. Lay the steel directly over that fret, not between frets.
- Colored pedal or lever = press it. String 1 is the one farthest from you; string 10 is nearest.
Keep exploring
Pedal Steel Atlas
Every B♭maj7 voicing — on your guitar
- Your setup. Pick a built-in copedent — or build your exact one, free — and every chord re-voices for your guitar.
- Real steel tone. Hear every grip and the pedal moves between them.
- Find the one you need. Filter by top note, bass string, or the changes you want to avoid.
- From chord to tab. Drop any grip into a tab and play it back.