GuitarChords.net

B major guitar chord

B major is B, D sharp, and F sharp. The first picture uses one finger across fret 2. Read the list if that is not clear from the picture.

x means muted. 0 means open.

B major

Short code 224442, thickest string first.

Barre fret 2 with the index finger on the low E, A and high E strings.

  1. Low E string: fret 2, index finger, note F sharp, 5th.
  2. A string: fret 2, index finger, note B, 1st.
  3. D string: fret 4, middle finger, note F sharp, 5th.
  4. G string: fret 4, ring finger, note B, 1st.
  5. B string: fret 4, pinky finger, note D sharp, 3rd.
  6. High E string: fret 2, index finger, note F sharp, 5th.

B major uses the notes F sharp, B and D sharp.

More B guitar chords.

Also B minor, B dominant 7, B major 7, B minor 7, B suspended 2, B suspended 4, B power chord, B diminished, B augmented.

B major, another shape

Short code 799877, thickest string first.

Barre fret 7 with the index finger on the low E, B and high E strings.

  1. Low E string: fret 7, index finger, note B, 1st.
  2. A string: fret 9, ring finger, note F sharp, 5th.
  3. D string: fret 9, pinky finger, note B, 1st.
  4. G string: fret 8, middle finger, note D sharp, 3rd.
  5. B string: fret 7, index finger, note F sharp, 5th.
  6. High E string: fret 7, index finger, note B, 1st.

B major uses the notes B, F sharp and D sharp.

Why do these two B major shapes both use a barre?

Both pictures are B, D sharp, and F sharp. That is B major. The first picture bars fret 2 on all six strings. The second picture bars fret 7 on all six strings. Same three notes. The second shape is higher, so it often sounds brighter.

If the B major in a song sounds higher than the first picture, try the second picture lower on this page. It is still B major.

D sharp is the note that makes this chord major instead of minor. On the first picture that D sharp is on the B string, fret 4, pinky. Play B minor after this. On B minor that note is D. Listen for D sharp turning into D.

Progressions that start on B major

Play each line in order.

B major, E major, F sharp major, B major

This is the campfire loop. B major (B) to E major (E) to F sharp major (F#) and home. Your ear already knows the last chord is coming, and that little click of "yes" is why beginners and church basements and country radio never get tired of it. It feels like a door shutting gently, not slamming.

B major, F sharp major, E major, B major

No minor chord, so no lump in the throat — only forward. 1970s rock, church-camp songs, anything that wants grit and a grin instead of a sad verse. You stomp. You keep going.

B major, A major, E major, B major

A major (A) leans away from home like a swagger, E major pulls, B major plants you. 1960s and 70s rock — the kind that wants dirt on the boots, not a crying verse. Southern rock and classic-rock radio still run on it.

B major, E major, A major, B major

Same rock family, different order of the lean. You visit E major, then A major takes you even farther from home, then you stamp back. Bar-band rock. Loud. Useful when the sad loop would be too much.

B major, E major, B major, E major

Two chords, back and forth, until your foot knows it. Kids’ songs, folk vamps, a bed to talk or preach over. Simple is the feeling. Folk and early rock and roll never apologized for that.

Songs with B major

Listen for this chord, then use the grip on this page.

I Wanna Be Sedated

B major sits in this Ramones song. The recording is in E major. It also uses E major and A major. The chorus is E major, A major, E major. The verse is B major, E major, B major, E major, B major, E major, A major, B major.

B major is the first chord of the verse.

I Wanna Be Sedated is an E major song they cut for Road to Ruin in 1978. In the verse you play B major first, then E major. E major sits still. B major is brighter. It is the first step out.

This was Marky Ramone’s first album with the band. Tommy Ramone stayed on as producer. Marky told Songfacts this song was done fast. His drum part took two takes.

They had spent the year on the road. Road to Ruin is the record they made when they got into the studio. This song is on it.

In the verse, B major is the brighter chord that gets you moving, then you land back on E major.

Creep

B major sits in this Radiohead song. The recording is in G major. It also uses G major, C major, and C minor. The verse is G major, B major, C major, C minor.

B major is the second chord of the verse.

Creep is a G major (G) song. In the verse you play G major first, then B major. G major sits still. B major is brighter. It is the first step out.

Jonny Greenwood did not like the song when the band first played it. Ed O’Brien told NME that Jonny tried to spoil it. Right before they sang the chorus, Jonny hit the strings hard, all at once, so the guitar jumped out like a smash.

Co-producer Paul Q. Kolderie later said they did not take those smashes out. They made them so loud they punched you in the face. The band called that part the Noise.

In the verse, B major is the brighter chord that jumps out of G major. Then you go to C major (C).