Position 1 / 4

This chord has 4 voicings across the fretboard. Use the arrows to see each shape and fingering — and tap any dot on the diagram to hear that note.

Expert

B Major Guitar Chord

A barre chord at the 2nd fret with a bright, full sound. B Major is essential for playing in sharp keys like E and B.

Also known as

  • B
  • BM
  • B M
  • Bmaj
  • B maj
  • Bmajor
  • B major

How to Play This Chord

Position your fingers on the fretboard as shown in the diagram. The vertical lines represent the strings, from low E (left) to high E (right), and the horizontal lines are the frets. Numbers inside the dots indicate which finger to use: 1 (index), 2 (middle), 3 (ring), 4 (pinky). An X means don't play that string; an O means play it open. A bar spanning multiple strings means one finger presses across all of them at once — this is known as a barre chord.

Tips & Tricks

B major is a barre chord at the 2nd fret (A shape) or 7th fret (E shape). Many beginners encounter B major as their first A-shape barre chord. The key challenge is getting the high E string to ring clearly while barring across five strings. Keep your barre finger as close to the fret wire as possible.

There are many ways to play this chord. Try these:

eBGDAE 2 2 4 4 4 2 2 2
eBGDAE 2 4 4 4 2 2 2 4
eBGDAE 2 2 2 4 4 4 2 2
eBGDAE 2 2 4 2 2 2 4 2

See how B Major works with other chords — Progression Generator