B Guitar Chord

B is the B major chord. It has three notes: B, D♯ and F♯. There is no open shape for it, so the standard version is a barre at the 2nd fret. For most players B is the barre chord they cannot postpone, because the key of E, one of the guitar's favorite keys, uses B as its V chord.

The standard B: an A shape barre at fret 2 with three fingers stacked at fret 4. Movable: the same grip is C at fret 3 and D at fret 5.

How to play B, step by step

Index finger: press flat across the A to high E strings at fret 2
Middle finger: 4th fret, D string
Ring finger: 4th fret, G string
Pinky finger: 4th fret, B string
Strum from the A string down, skipping the low E.

If the barre is still shaky, learn B7 as well: it has an open shape and often stands in for B in songs that head back to E.

Easy B for beginners (no barre)

Play the four string version first: middle, ring and pinky stack on the 4th fret of the D, G and B strings, and the index takes the high E at fret 2 by itself. Four fingertips, nothing flattened.

The full barre adds only a low B root on the A string. Until your index can hold five strings, the small shape carries songs perfectly well, and the top three fingers never have to relearn anything.

There is no fake B here. A major chord is its root, third and fifth, and this shape sounds B, D♯ and F♯ together. Smaller, yes; less of a B chord, no.

More ways to play B

There are 4 common B shapes in total: the standard one at the top of the page, plus these, easiest first. You only ever need one. Tap any card to hear it.

B guitar chord diagram, easier, no barre, played xx4442 — Easier, no barre

B guitar chord diagram, barre at fret 7, played 799877 — Barre at fret 7

B guitar chord diagram, compact, frets 7 to 9, played xx9877 — Compact, frets 7 to 9

If B refuses to ring

The A string buzzes under the barre: In this shape the barre only truly sounds the A string and the high E; the strings between are fretted higher up. Aim the index pressure at those two points instead of squeezing all five.
The high E disappears: The pinky on the B string is tipping over onto it. Curl the pinky until only its tip touches, then test the high E on its own.
The fret 4 stack sounds mushy: Three fingers in one fret need to stand upright. Bring the thumb low behind the neck to give the fingers room to arch.

What makes it a B

B · D♯ · F♯ 1 3 5

B major is the root B, the major third D♯ and the fifth F♯. It works as the I chord in the key of B, the IV chord in F♯, and the V chord in E. The last role explains why the chord matters so much on guitar: E is a home key for blues, rock and countless open chord songs, and B is the tension chord that pulls those songs back to E. Skip B and the key of E never fully resolves.

B vs Bm

The D♯ inside B falls to D in Bm. On the fretboard both use a barre at the 2nd fret, and the difference is one string: Bm frets the B string at 3 instead of 4, spreading the fingers into the Am shape. Many players find Bm's staggered grip slightly kinder to the hand than B's one fret stack, but the honest answer is that both take practice.

B chord questions

Is there an open B chord?

No standard one. B is normally played as a barre at the 2nd fret, or as the four string version on this page, which needs no barre.

How can I avoid the B barre?

Two honest options: the four string B on this page, or B7 when the song is in E. B7 has an open shape and shares B's pull toward E.

What is the difference between B and Bm?

One note, D♯ versus D. On the barre shapes, one finger moves down a fret on the B string and the chord turns minor.

Why do so many songs need B?

It is the V chord of E, and E is one of the most used keys in guitar music. Any song in E that wants full tension and release will call for B.

What songs use the B chord?

From this page: Creep, Message in a Bottle, Under the Bridge and Pinball Wizard.