Guitar chord · Triads

B♭ major chord on guitar

6 ways to play B♭ on guitar, with finger positions, tabs and step-by-step instructions.

Bright, stable and resolved — the foundation of most songs.

B♭ is the I chord in B♭ major, IV in F major and V in E♭ major. In minor keys: III in G minor, V in E♭ minor, VI in D minor and VII in C minor.

Spell as A♯

Guitar

Standard tuning (E A D G B E) · 6 voicings · E string on the left · Other tunings →

Left-handed

Lay your index finger (1) flat across 5 strings at the 1st fret — this is the barre.
6th string (low E): don’t play — mute it
5th string (A): 1st fret, held by the barre B♭
4th string (D): 3rd fret, middle finger (2) F
3rd string (G): 3rd fret, ring finger (3) B♭
2nd string (B): 3rd fret, pinky finger (4) D
1st string (high E): 1st fret, held by the barre F

e|--1---|
B|--3---|
G|--3---|
D|--3---|
A|--1---|
E|--x---|

Top line is the high E string. x = don’t play, 0 = open string.

Bright dots are the selected voicing — the rest are other places you can find the same chord tones.

x13331 is an A-shape barre at the 1st fret. Many players barre the 3rd fret with the ring finger instead of fitting three fingers side by side.

You’ll find B♭ in common progressions such as B♭–F–Gm–E♭ (the pop progression in B♭ major), B♭–E♭–F–E♭ (three-chord rock in B♭ major) and B♭–Gm–E♭–F (the ’50s progression in B♭ major).