Easy Way to Play B Chord on Guitar

There are many ways to play the B chord on guitar. Below are 5 of those ways.

Learning how to play the same chord in different ways and around different parts of the fretboard is a great way to add to your repertoire and can really help you to change the flavor of a song, help to add some uniqueness when writing songs and gives you some options when improvising.

To clarify: When I say ?B?, I mean B major.

B Chord Variation 1: Open B Variation 1

Most people don?t typically play an open B. B is usually played as a barre chord (see variation 3 below) as the go-to for most people. But you can play B in the open position without using a barre chord.

This first variation of the open B chord isn?t really an open chord – but it?s close to that open position?on the fretboard.

This is played by:

1. Placing your 1^st finger (index finger) in the 2^nd fret of the High E string
2. Placing your 2^nd finger (middle finger) in the 4^th fret of the D string
3. Placing your 3^rd finger (ring finger) in the 4^th fret of the G string
4. Placing your 4^th finger (pinky) in the 4^th fret of the B string

Only the D, G, B and High E strings are strummed when strumming this chord. I like to bring my thumb over the top of the neck to mute the Low E and A strings so that I don?t accidentally play them ? and so that I don?t have to think as hard about my strumming hand.

B Chord Variation 2: Open B Variation 2

Another variation you can use in the first position is a little bit more difficult to play ? but it has a different flavor and makes use of the open B string. There are a couple of variations within this variation.

This is played by:

1. Placing your 1^st finger (index finger) in the 1^st fret of the D string
2. Placing your 2^nd finger (middle finger) in the 2^nd fret of the A string
3. Placing your 3^rd finger (ring finger) in the 2^nd fret of the High E string

Here you don?t strum the Low E string and you need to either mute the G string (either with your pinky or by flattening out your index finger) or place your pinky finger in the 4^th fret of the G string (quite a stretch!).

This chord is best used for finger-picking and not strumming, in my opinon, because even muting that G string can still bring in that discordant character ? so, unless that?discordance is what you?re after, it doesn?t necessarily sound good strumming.

The other way you could play this to give it yet another flavor, is to give it an F# bass.

This is played by:

1. Placing your 1^st finger (index finger) in the 1^st fret of the D string
2. Placing your 2^nd finger (middle finger) in the 2^nd fret of the Low E string
3. Placing your 3^rd finger (ring finger) in the 2^nd fret of the A string
4. Placing your 4^th finger (pinky) in the 2^nd fret of the High E string

Here you would strum all of the strings but you?ll need to flatten out your index finger a little to mute that G string.

B Chord Variation 3: Barre B

The Barre B chord is the most played of the B chords and can be played in two main positions.

The ?A string Barre B? is played by barring the 2^nd fret and creating the open A shape in the 4^th fret. All the strings except for the Low E are strummed when strumming this chord.

If you aren?t sure about how to play barre chords check out the link below.

>>How to Play Major Barre Chords on Guitar

How you create the A shape is up to you. Personally, I find more difficult to put all 3 of my fingers into the 4^th fret so I make that A shape by barring the D, G, & B strings in the 4^th fret with my 3^rd finger (ring finger).

The ?E string Barre B? is played by barring the 7th fret with your index finger and making an open E shape in the 8^th and 9^th frets. This chord adds an extra B into the chord (6^th fret high E string) that?s an octave higher than the highest B in the ?A string Barre B?.

So whilst people often consider these two barre chords exactly the same, there is a slight difference and a subtly different flavor.

B Chord Variation 4: Higher up the fretboard

This variation gives a B chord option that is higher up the fretboard. It has a significantly different flavor to the Barre chords we just learned. This chord almost has a ukulele feel to it (IMO).

1. Place your 1^st finger on the 9^th fret on the D string
2. Place your 2^nd finger on the 11^th fret on the G string
3. Place your 3^rd finger on the 11^th fret on the high E string
4. Place your 4^th finger on the 12^th fret on the B string

Don?t strum the Low E and A strings when you are strumming this.

You can also bring in a F# bass by barring the A and D strings with your 1^st finger. I find that this (and without the F# bass) sounds best when fingerpicking or flat-picking but you can strum it too.

B Chord Variation 5: Mid Fingerboard

Now a nice easy one to finish.

1. Place the 1^st finger in the 7^th fret of the B string
2. Place the 2^nd finger in the 7^th fret on the high e string
3. Place the 3^rd finger in the 8^th fret on the G string
4. Place the 4^th finger in the 9^th fret on the D string

Strum only the D, G, B and high e strings. This is the same shape as is used for an open F chord.

The other way you can play it is by barring the B and low e strings with your 1^st finger and using your 2^nd and 3^rd fingers for the other 2 notes. This frees up your pinky to do other things.

Another variation is to barre the B and high e strings with your 1^st finger and use your 2^nd finger in the 8^th fret on the G string, your 3^rd finger in the 9^th fret A string and your 4^th finger in the 9^th fret on the D string. This gives you a B with an F# bass.

Thanks for Reading

I hope this post has given you some new options for playing the B major chord. Are there any other ways that you like to play the B chord? Feel free to leave a comment below.

andrewstalithe89.blogspot.com

Source: https://sixstringacoustic.com/5-ways-to-play-the-b-chord-on-guitar

Share this post