Major chord · B root
B chord
- B1
- D#3
- F#5
The B major chord is built from the notes B, D#, F#. It turns up 9 times in the 104 songs on this site, including Creep and Fell in Love with a Girl.
By Chiye · Updated
What is the B chord?
The B chord (B major) is a major chord built from three notes: B, D#, F# — the 1–3–5 of the B scale, 4 semitones and 7 semitones above the root. On guitar it is most often played as a movable shape from fret 2 (x-2-4-4-4-2); shift all fretted notes together to transpose it along the neck. It is rated intermediate. The bright, home-base sound that most songs resolve to. Across the 104 song sheets in this site's library, B appears 9 times in 2 songs, most often in the keys of B and G, and the chord it most often moves to is A. Below you will find step-by-step fingering, 4 positions up the neck, audio of every shape, and the real progressions this chord lives inside.
How do you play the B chord on guitar?
Fret 2 barre — a movable shape, so this same fingering works for every root note.
- Lay your index finger flat across the A to high E strings at fret 2, rolled slightly onto its bony edge.
- Lay your ring finger flat across the D to B strings at fret 4, rolled slightly onto its bony edge.
- Start your strum on the A string and do not play the low E string at all.
Leave out the lowest fretted note (A string) and practise the remaining strings. The bass changes, and the upper strings may still need a smaller barre; check that the third and other colour tones stay clear. x-x-4-4-4-2
How do you make B sound clean?
The two-bar B shape tempts players into barring the top two strings with the pinky instead of the ring finger.
Loop B, E and F#, the I–IV–V of B major. The displayed B is an A-shape; E and F# use E-shapes, so prepare the change in grip as well as the fret.
In real songs
What songs use the B chord?
- chord changes
- 9
- songs
- 2
- common keys
- B · G
Across the 104 chord sheets on this site, B appears 9 times in 2 songs — most often in the keys of B and G.
Chord flow
What chord comes after B?
Every number here is a count from the progressions in our song sheets, not a generalisation: 1879 chord changes are behind these figures.
Three-chord moves
Three-chord moves are where a chord really shows its character. These are the ones that actually happen in this library, counted from the sheets:
What other ways can you play B up the neck?
3 more positions below. A chord is a set of notes, not a shape — every position below sounds like B, and each one puts your hand somewhere different, which is what makes them useful in different songs.
Position 2 · Fret 4 barre
No open strings, so this is a movable shape: slide it up or down and the same fingering gives you a different chord name.
One bar does most of the work. Roll that finger onto its bony edge and pull the elbow slightly in — a barre that buzzes is almost always a position problem, not a strength problem.
Position 3 · Fret 7 barre
No open strings, so this is a movable shape: slide it up or down and the same fingering gives you a different chord name.
One bar does most of the work. Roll that finger onto its bony edge and pull the elbow slightly in — a barre that buzzes is almost always a position problem, not a strength problem.
Position 4 · Fret 9
No open strings, so this is a movable shape: slide it up or down and the same fingering gives you a different chord name.
Up at fret 9 the frets are close together, so use a lighter touch than you would in the open position — squeezing here pulls the notes sharp.
The theory behind B
B is spelled B – D# – F# — the 1 – 3 – 5 of the B scale, which is the root plus 4 semitones, 7 semitones. The bright, home-base sound that most songs resolve to.
The third is the note that makes it major, so it decides the character: keep it on top and B sounds bright, drop it below the fifth and the same notes sound rounder. On guitar that is a matter of which string you put it on, which is exactly what the different positions on this page do.
What key is the B chord in?
B is the I chord in the key of B major, the IV chord in F# major and the V chord in E major — the three major keys where B appears naturally.
the home chord — songs resolve here
the subdominant — the chord that leaves home
the dominant — the chord that pulls back home
B on other instruments
B – D# – F# — the highlighted black keys are the sharps or flats; play each note once, then move them into one hand position.
Take it to the practice room
