B Chord On Guitar - Real Guitar Lessons by Tomas Michaud (2024)

The B Major chord is one of the most difficult chords to play for beginners.

I've taught different variations of this chord in the past. Some didn't sound good and others weren't easy. But I've finally found the B chord that works for beginners and sounds good. As an added bonus, there's no bar chord!

Easy B Chords for Guitar

Easy B Chord #1

Here is how you play this chord. 3 fingers are on the 4th fret. Your 1st finger is on the 5th string 2nd fret, that's a B note. The other three fingers, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, are all on the 4th fret on the 4th string, 3rd string, and 2nd string.

You don't want to play the 6th string or the 1st string when playing this chord. What you do is extend your 1st finger slightly to deaden the 6th string. On the 1st string use your pinky finger to mute the sound. It tends to naturally touch that string anyway. You end up with a nice solid B chord.

This chord can be moved around. If you move it up a fret, you have a C chord, 2 frets a D Chord, etc. It's a moveable chord. So, whatever your first finger points to (lands on) is the name of the chord.

Another bonus is this is a fingering that could help you when you start learning bar chords. It's a solid step on the path to playing bar chords.

Easier B Chord #2 - B "Power Chord"

This version of the B chord is easier and it also has other uses. Put your 1st finger on the 5th string 2nd fret, 3rd finger 4th finger (or pinky) on the 3rd fret. This is called a Power Chord.

Again, the 6th string is muted out by just barely touching it with your 1st finger. But it's harder to mute out that 2nd string. If you let it ring, it's a B add 11 chord. Not quite a B major but a useful chord.

You can practice hitting the middle strings and avoid hitting that top string if you just want a B chord. This is also a moveable chord.

However, this chord doesn't indicate major or minor. Your ears may hear a major or minor chord depending on context, but there is no 3rd in the chord that indicates major or minor. It's just a B power chord.

Now Practice These Easy B Major Chords

With practice, you will find both of these forms a great addition to your chords.
If you are learning these because you are avoiding learning bar chords, I don't blame you, it's a tough leap to make.

A mistake that beginners frequently make, is that they only want to learn bar chords when they need to for a specific song or exercise with bar chords in it.

I find it is much easier to learn them step by step. This means start learning them now. Even if you're not ready to go all out, knowing what is involved will help you to make better decisions.