Make Your B Chords Sound Better: Guitar Tips and Tricks (2024)

The B guitar chord is probably the hardest of all chords for beginner guitarists toplay.

In this free lesson you will learn:

  • How to play the B guitar chord correctly
  • The best B chord for beginner guitarists to use
  • A simple 3-string version of the B guitar chord
  • 3 bonus tricks you can use to make your B chords sound better

Make Your B Chords Sound Better: Guitar Tips and Tricks (1)

How to play the B guitar chord properly

Ok, before we look at the easier alternatives let’s see how the B guitar chord should ideally be played (note that the full name of B is actually “B Major”, but most people just refer to it as “B”):

B Major

Make Your B Chords Sound Better: Guitar Tips and Tricks (2)

(If you don't understand the above image please read our article "How To Read Guitar Chordboxes In 60 Seconds". It will make everything clear!)

Give it a try. As you will see it’s a challenging chord to play. 🙂

I’ve learnt through thousands of hours of teaching that the B guitar chord is simply out of reach for beginner guitarists. We need an alternative; a different version of B that you can use as a stepping stone to develop your finger dexterity and accuracy.

Mastering the B guitar chord – Two great versions for beginner guitarists

The first of these two chords is called “B7”. It look like this:

B7

Make Your B Chords Sound Better: Guitar Tips and Tricks (3)

As you can see this is a much easier version of the B guitar chord, though it’s still a little tricky for total beginnersbecause it requires 3 fingers. Stick with it! This is the best version of the B guitar chord for beginners to learn.

Learn 12 EASY beginner chords with our popular guide

Make Your B Chords Sound Better: Guitar Tips and Tricks (4)

Stop struggling. Start making music.

Learn beginner-friendly versions of every chord.

This is our most popular guide and it will improve your chord ability quickly! 😎

Get your own personalised guitar-learning plan 🎸

Get a custom guitar-learning plan here: Click here for GuitarMetrics™

World-Class Guitar Courses 🌎

Learn from the world's best guitar educators: Click here for our guitar courses

Let’s look at a 2-finger version of the B guitar chord. (This is easier to play than B7 but doesn’t sound as good, so it doesn’t win my overall recommendation.)

Bm11

Make Your B Chords Sound Better: Guitar Tips and Tricks (5)

This is a great version of the B guitar chord for beginners to use. Even though it doesn’t sound as good as a full B major chord, or as strong as a B7, it does contain the all-important B root note and is a passable B chord for absolute guitarbeginners.

Once you have 10-15 hours of guitar playing under your belt you should look to ‘upgrade’ from Bm11 and play B7 instead.

Make Your B Chords Sound Better: Guitar Tips and Tricks (6)

The Best Easy Versions Of This Chord

A super-simple, 3-string version of the B guitar chord

Make Your B Chords Sound Better: Guitar Tips and Tricks (7)

This version of the B guitar chord sounds a little thin (it’s bound to, of course, as you’re only using half of the strings), but it’s still a valid B major chord and is ideal for children’s smaller hands and adults who are struggling to play the other versions of B.

QUICKTIP: You can find a great overview of the anatomy of the guitar in this Guardian piece.

.

A great version of the B guitar chord for acoustic players

This loose-sounding B guitar chord is called Bsus4 (which is short for “B suspended fourth”). It’s a wonderful chord for acoustic guitars and creates a light, free sound.

Bsus4

Make Your B Chords Sound Better: Guitar Tips and Tricks (9)

Common versions of B

Lots of barred chords here!

Make Your B Chords Sound Better: Guitar Tips and Tricks (10)

Here’s some more useful versions of B…

Make Your B Chords Sound Better: Guitar Tips and Tricks (11)

What Type of Guitarist Are You?

Take our 60-second quiz & get your results: Take The Quiz

Join the world's best online guitar school 🌎

  • Get your own personalised guitar learning plan(customised just for YOU).
  • World-class online guitar courses. Learn at your own pace.
  • Community Campus & Learning Forum - A friendly community! Connect with our team & students. 😊
  • Beginner Song library with chordsheets, tabs and tips. (Songs suitable for all levels!)
  • Regular live streams, seminars and Q&A sessions- Learn from world-class guitar educators. Get all your questions answered!

Click here to learn more about National Guitar Academy membership

Cool Guitar T-shirts 😎

Look cooler! Check out our merch: Click here to see our merch store

Want free guitar tips and video lessons delivered to your inbox?

Join over 250,000 other guitar learners and subscribe to our guitar-tips-by-email service. (It's free.)

We'll send you a series of lessons that will move you to the next level of your guitar journey.

Learn how everything fits together quickly, easily and effectively. We share ninja tips (for instant fun!) but also timeless fundamentals that will deepen your understanding.

Make Your B Chords Sound Better: Guitar Tips and Tricks (13)

Popular Lessons

How To Learn Guitar: An 11-Step Programme For Beginners

10 Easy Songs For Beginners

How To Strum A Guitar

How To Choose The Perfect Beginner Guitar

Guitar Notes Explained: A Guide For Beginners

How To Play Lead Guitar

3 Easy Ways To Play Bm

More Cool Guitar Stuff

Learn about National Guitar Academy: About Us

Visit our YouTube channel for fun guitar videos.

Join us on Facebookfor daily guitar tips.

Listen toourLearn Guitar Podcastfor rapid guitar progress.

Check out our free chord lessons.

Where should we send it?

Get our best guitar tips & videos

Make Your B Chords Sound Better: Guitar Tips and Tricks (2024)

FAQs

Is there an easier way to play B chords on guitar? ›

The first alternate thing you can do is to take your index finger off the 5th string and place it on the 1st string, so the chord now looks like this: Index finger on the 2nd fret of the E (1st) string. Middle finger on the 4th fret of the D (4th) string. Ring finger on the 4th fret of the G (3rd) string.

Why does my B chord sound bad? ›

The deviating distance is therefore the reason why the B string sounds out of tune. Because the G string and B string are closer together, the inaccuracy in Hertz is up to 14%.

What is the hardest chord to play on guitar? ›

The F Minor Barre Chord is challenging due to the need for the index finger to bar all strings across the first fret, while other fingers stretch to play other notes. Reason for Difficulty: Requires strong finger pressure and dexterity.

Is the B or F chord harder? ›

The F chord on guitar can be especially challenging. In fact, so much so that you may well develop an aversion to playing it. The B chord presents its own set of challenges. These two chords don't have open shapes, and that makes them more difficult to play.

Why is the b chord so hard to play? ›

This is a barre chord that requires you to fret 5 strings with the first finger. This makes the B chord a little tricky, but with a little patience, you can master it. Here are a few tips to help you master this tricky fingering faster: In the beginning, form the fingering shape slowly.

What is the most annoying chord on the guitar? ›

Commonly Annoying Chords:

One notorious culprit is the barre chord, which involves using one finger to press down multiple strings across the guitar neck. Additionally, the F major chord, known for its challenging finger placement, often causes frustration.

Why does my B string sound dead? ›

The B string has the least tension, and is most likely to to exhibit odd or weak sound. In addition, it is most sensitive to the shaping of the top of the saddle and the nut slot. Part of this is due to the bending stiffness at the nut and saddle, and is one reason going to a lighter gauge may help.

How do you make chords sound happier? ›

To create happy chord progressions, you can simply use the I, IV, and V chords (or 1-4-5). Each one of these chords is a major chord, and they work together in any order to create a happy sound. You can also add energy or enthusiasm to the progression by varying the rhythm.

Why is there no open B chord? ›

The B chord is an A shape or E shape barre chord. This means you'll have to use a barre to play it. You can't play it as an open chord in standard tuning. The B root note is found on either the E or the A string, hence the name of the shapes.

What chord can I play instead of B minor? ›

This would depend on the situation. In most cases, it would be best to play a simpler version of the Bm (either the 3 finger or 4 finger form) if difficulty were the issue. It is possible in some cases to substitute a D major chord in place of the B minor chord.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Rueben Jacobs

Last Updated:

Views: 6034

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (57 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Rueben Jacobs

Birthday: 1999-03-14

Address: 951 Caterina Walk, Schambergerside, CA 67667-0896

Phone: +6881806848632

Job: Internal Education Planner

Hobby: Candle making, Cabaret, Poi, Gambling, Rock climbing, Wood carving, Computer programming

Introduction: My name is Rueben Jacobs, I am a cooperative, beautiful, kind, comfortable, glamorous, open, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.