B chord on guitar

B major

1234xEADGBe
x24442Barre at fret 2

B is a major chord with three notes: B, D# and F#. Learn it first as a barre at fret 2, your index finger flat across five strings. Below: where each finger goes, which strings to skip and one more way to play it.

Strum it and Lark tells you if it is right. The chord detector is free and listens through your mic.

How to play it

  1. Index flat across fret 2, from the A string to the high e
  2. Middle on the D string, fret 4
  3. Ring on the G string, fret 4
  4. Pinky on the B string, fret 4

The number in each note head is the finger: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky.

Strings to skip

Skip the low E string and strum from the A string down.

Shape
Barre at fret 2index finger across five strings at fret 2
Fingers
Fourindex, middle, ring and pinky
Strings played
FiveA, D, G, B and high e
Open strings
Noneevery played string is fretted
Lowest note
B2the root, on the A string
Frets
x 2 4 4 4 2low E to high e, x means skip it

The notes in B

  • Broot
  • D#major third
  • F#perfect fifth

A major chord is three notes: the root, a major third and a perfect fifth. D# is the major third, four frets above the root. F# is the perfect fifth, seven frets above the root.

String by string

  1. high e string: F#4perfect fifth
  2. B string: D#4major third
  3. G string: B3root
  4. D string: F#3perfect fifth
  5. A string: B2root
  6. low E string: not played

Every note of B is in this shape, some of them twice.

Another way to play it

  • EADGBe7Barre at fret 77 9 9 8 7 7Root on the low E string.

Relative minor

The relative minor of B is G#m, in the chart as Abm (the same notes under another name). The B major scale uses the same seven notes as the G# natural minor scale.

Every major chord

All 111 chords in the chart

Strum it and Lark tells you if it is right.

Open the chord detector, play B and Lark names the chord it hears, with the notes in it. In the app, the chord book has all 111 chords, string by string.