Guitar chord · Triads
B major chord on guitar
x24442 · Barre · 2nd fret
All 6 shapes, tab & fingering ↓
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 E♭ minor and VII in C♯ minor.
- Notes
- BD♯F♯
- Formula
- 135
- Built from
- root · major 3rd · perfect 5th
Guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E) · 6 voicings · E string on the left · Other tunings →
How to play it · Barre · 2nd fret
- Lay your index finger (1) flat across 5 strings at the 2nd fret — this is the barre.
- 6th string (low E): don’t play — mute it
- 5th string (A): 2nd fret, held by the barre B
- 4th string (D): 4th fret, middle finger (2) F♯
- 3rd string (G): 4th fret, ring finger (3) B
- 2nd string (B): 4th fret, pinky finger (4) D♯
- 1st string (high E): 2nd fret, held by the barre F♯
Tablature
e|--2---| B|--4---| G|--4---| D|--4---| A|--2---| E|--x---|
Top line is the high E string. x = don’t play, 0 = open string.
Every B note on the guitar neck
Bright dots are the selected voicing — the rest are other places you can find the same chord tones.
Tips for playing B on guitar
x24442 is an A-shape barre at the 2nd fret. A popular shortcut is to barre the 4th fret with your ring finger and let the high E stay muted.
You’ll find B in common progressions such as B–F♯–G♯m–E (the pop progression in B major), B–E–F♯–E (three-chord rock in B major) and B–G♯m–E–F♯ (the ’50s progression in B major).
