How to play B Chord on Guitar Easily
The B chord for most beginner guitarists can be a challenge
Especially when it comes to making chord changes fast enough
This is due to it being spread over multiple strings and usually in the form of a bar chord
Which consequently leaves beginner guitarists wondering, is there an easier way to play the B chord on guitar
For those of you after a quick win I’ve included a diagram that shows the easiest version of B chord possible
Yes practice will eventually help over come difficulties playing the B chord, but this will get you playing songs faster
For completeness I’ve also included other possible formations of the B chord
However do note that the main purpose of this article is to show you an easy way to play the B chord
The Most Common B Chord Formation
This is the most common form of the B chord which is in every beginners method book
The B chord is an extremely popular chord that’s used in a lot of songs, it is definitely one you want to master
If you are not familiar with reading chord diagrams then check out my beginners chords article
The X on the strings mean the string is not played
How to Play B Chord on Guitar, Easy Version
Now you’re probably thinking, yep that first diagram is the B chord alright, but how can it get easier?
Well this is the easiest version of B you can play
All it takes is the first finger on the second fret of the first string
And another 2 fingers on the fourth fret of strings 2 and 3
Note, make sure you only strum the first 3 strings
How is this possible you ask?
Well the B chord is only made up of three notes (B, D# and F#) and you can see by playing the easy version we are only playing 3 notes which happen to be the three notes that make up the B chord
Then why do the other version at all? It’s because the other version(s) give a fuller sound
You see, Chords are made up of lower and upper tetrachords covering the bass and treble
By playing the easy version we are playing the upper tetrachord which technically is still a B chord
In a lot of Jazz text books they call this chord formation the voicing of the chord or technically more known as a triad
The X on the strings mean the string is not played
Easy B Chord Quick Video Example
Please note the reference to the link in the video is this page that you’re currently on
Movable B Chord
This formation of the easy B chord is also movable
Meaning that you can stay in this formation and move your fingers up and down the fretboard to play other chords
For example if you move one fret up in the same position you’ll be playing the C chord
This is because the root note is based on the third string
The diagram below represents the guitar fretboard
If you look at the third string (G) in the easy formation wherever your finger lands that’s the chord you’ll be playing
Other B Chord formations
Believe it or not, the B chord can be played in other parts of the guitar
This is because the notes that make up B chord can be found all over the guitar fretboard
These B Chord formations are much harder than what’s be discussed so far
However this article wouldn’t be complete unless I shared them with you
So finally, here they are:
