The B Major chord is one of those chords that guitarists will do everything to avoid. When I started playing, I wouldn’t learn any song that had a B major chord in it. In fact, when I came across a B Major chord that was usually the end of my practice for the day.
This article will teach you an easy way of how to play b chord on guitar (also referred to as the B Major Chord), and then I will give you two other techniques to practice and build upon. Soon you will be playing the B Major Chord with no fear in your heart and become the envy of your friends who are still sitting around casually strumming open chords!
Let's Get Ready! What You Will Need To Play The B Chord?
- The first thing you will need is your guitar (obviously)
- Make sure it’s in tuned to basic E tuning
- Get a stool or someplace comfortable to sit
I’ll outline three different ways of how to play the B major chord. Practice the first step until you are comfortable, then move onto the second step, then the third as the difficulty increases with every step. It takes time to build finger strength so don’t be discouraged!
The other advantage to practicing this method is that it gives you a few options of how you can transition to other chords depending on the song that you’re playing.
Ready? Let’s Start Our Step By Step Guide
Method 1 - The Easiest Way To Play The B Chord
Photo Credit: tomasmichaud.com
- Place your first finger on the fourth string on the first fret (D#)
- Place your second finger on the third string on the third fret (A#)
- Place your third finger on the second string on the fourth fret (D#)
- Place your fourth finger on the first string on the third fret (G)
- The bottom two strings are muted/not played
This is difficult at first but don’t give up! Play each string individually to ensure you get a clear sound.
Method 2 - The Other Way To Play The B Chord
Photo Credit: tomasmichaud.com
As you can see from the picture, this is a barre chord. It doesn’t use a barre across the full six strings, however, so it does make it easier to play. Here’s how to play the B major chord using this method.
- The sixth string is open (E)
- Place your first finger across the first five strings at the first fret (A#/F)
- Place your second finger on the fourth string at the third fret (F)
- Place your third finger on the third string at the third fret (A#)
- Place your fourth finger on the second string at the third fret (D)
Play the strings individually do ensure a clean sound. This can feel a little cramped at first so you may need to move the position of your hand around slightly to find where is comfortable for you.
If you’re not used to barre chords, this may take some time to get used to but take it slow and be patient. It doesn’t take long, just practice every day and soon you’ll get a feel for these chords.
Method 3 - Easy To Transition To Other Chords
Photo Credit: tomasmichaud.com
Congratulations! You’ve learned two different ways of how to play a B major chord, and now you’re ready for the final step. Even though it looks difficult, I find this the easier way to play it, but we still have to build up finger strength using the previous two methods first.
- Place your first finger across all six strings on the first fret (E/E)
- Place your second finger on the third string at the second fret (A)
- Place your third finger on the fifth string at the third fret (C)
- Place your fourth finger on the fourth string at the third fret (F)
As before, play each string individually to ensure you have a clean sound then when you’re ready to start strumming! This way of playing a B major chord also has the added advantage in that it’s very easy to transition to other chords.
You can also see more with video below for how to play b chord on guitar:
In Conclusion – Wrapping It Up
Thanks for reading my tutorial and I hoped it helped to get rid of the mystery of how to play b chord on guitar. With a bit of practice there is really no need to avoid it and by learning it, you’re also able to learn thousands of new songs.
Was the tutorial enjoyable? Did you get some benefit from it or do you have any tips or techniques of your own? I encourage you to share your thoughts in the comment section before, and feel free to share this article around to anyone else who might benefit from it!
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