How To Play The B Chord On Guitar - String Systems

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• Guitar Lessons
  • Lead Guitar Lessons
  • Rhythm Guitar Lessons
  • Free Mini Courses
  • Premium Courses
  • Full Access
  • Private Lessons
  • App
  • YouTube Channel
• My Account
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How to Play the B major chord on Guitar

String Systems/ Chords & Rhythm Guitar

Navigation:

• The problem with the B chord
• How to play a B major chord
• Moveable form: B barre chord
• The easiest B chord voicing
• Related lessons & courses

The problem with the B chord

The B major chord appears in many popular songs. However, the B chord is a bit difficult to execute on guitar, especially for beginners, and even for intermediate players.

We'll begin with a standard version of the B chord that is often the recommended choice for new guitarists. You can also scroll below for an easy way to play B major, as well as a moveable 6-string barre version.

How to play the B chord on the guitar

This is a barre chord that requires you to fret 5 strings with the first finger. This makes the B chord a little tricky, but with a little patience, you can master it.

Here are a few tips to help you master this tricky fingering faster:

• In the beginning, form the fingering shape slowly. Speed will come later.
• Decide on the order with which you will place your fingers. For example, always start with fingers 2-3-4 and then place the 1st finger to form the barre.
• Be consistent with the decided order. After you build muscle memory, forming the chord will happen automatically and almost instantly. But the muscle memory building process will take a lot longer if you do this differently every time.
• Place your 1st finger very close to the metal fret. This makes it easier to execute without buzzing. But don't play completely over the fret wire because that will produce a muted sound.

Extra tip:

Some players prefer to create a second mini-barre using the 3rd finger instead of using fingers 2-3-4. This may be a better option if you have thick fingers and have trouble squeezing 3 of them in the 4th fret. Keep in mind that the bottom of your 3rd finger will probably mute the 1st string, but that's ok since the chord is still complete without it (there's another F# on string 4).

FREE - Fretboard Memorization Toolbox

B barre chord - moveable

A note on "bar chords": The traditional spelling is "barre", but many times you will see it spelled as "bar". So a "B bar chord" and a "B barre chord" are actually the same thing. Don't let that throw you off 😉.

The above B chord is already a moveable barre chord. But if you want a slightly easier barre fingering that covers all 6 strings, try the option below:

To use moveable chords effectively, you need to locate the notes on the fretboard really fast. I highly recommend that you get Fretboard Memorization Toolbox. It's a free mini-course that includes fun drills and musical challenges that will help you master the fretboard very quickly.

FREE - Fretboard Memorization Toolbox

The easiest B chord voicing

Guitar players love shortcuts. A shortcut for quickly playing a B major chord on the guitar, without the trouble of the barre, is to use the minimal voicing in the diagram below.

This produces a thinner chord, but it still sounds great in many songs and it includes all the chord degrees. Plus it's extremely easy to play on the guitar!

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