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The B chord

The B chord is the most basic of musical building blocks. Its notes (B - D# - F#) form a major triad, which is why it shows up across pop, folk, country and rock. Songwriters pick the B when they want a confident landing point, and on guitar it sits right under the fingers in open position. Most guitarists barre it at the second fret; piano players treat it as a comfortable five-sharps shape. The voicings, theory, progressions and song references that follow are organised so you can skim once or settle in for the full picture.

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Voicings for B

Common ways to grip the B on guitar and piano. Guitar diagrams read low E to high E left-to-right; an × means muted, an open circle above the nut means an open string. Filled dots are fretted notes.

Guitar , full chord shapes

CAGED-derived voicings for B across the neck. Pick the shape closest to where your hand already sits.

Guitar: E shape at fr.7

Notes: B - D# - F# (chord tones)

Guitar: A shape at fr.2

Notes: B - D# - F# (chord tones)

Guitar: D shape at fr.9

Notes: B - D# - F# (chord tones)

Guitar: C shape at fr.11

Notes: B - D# - F# (chord tones)

Guitar: G shape at fr.4

Notes: B - D# - F# (chord tones)

Guitar , triad shapes

Three-note voicings on three adjacent strings. Light textures for arpeggios, pop layering and chord-melody work.

Triad: top-string triad

Notes: 3-note voicing on adjacent strings

Triad: middle-string triad

Notes: 3-note voicing on adjacent strings

Triad: bass-side triad

Notes: 3-note voicing on adjacent strings

Piano voicings

Root position and inversions. The bass note matters: each inversion changes how the chord sits under a melody.

Piano: root position

Notes: B - D# - F#. Root B at the bottom. The classic stacked-thirds spelling of a major triad.

Piano: first inversion

Notes: D# - F# - B. D# at the bottom. Common in chord-melody, walking bass lines and gentler voicings.

Piano: second inversion

Notes: F# - B - D#. F# at the bottom. A floating, suspended feel often used in hymns and ballads.

The theory behind B

B is a major triad built on B. Its three or four notes (B - D# - F#) sit a specific distance apart: root, major third, perfect fifth. That makes it a Dominant (V) in the key of E major, and the same chord works as the Tonic (I) in B major. The simplest rule of thumb: the B wants to stay home or move to the IV or V.

Progressions that use B

Short progressions that put the B to work. Each one is shown in a different key so you can pick the one that suits your singer.

I→V→vi→IV key of E major

E - B - C#m - A

The four-chord engine behind a thousand pop hits. The lift from I to V opens the chorus, vi pulls down into feeling, IV walks back toward home.

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I→V→vi→IV key of B major

B - F# - G#m - E

The four-chord engine behind a thousand pop hits. The lift from I to V opens the chorus, vi pulls down into feeling, IV walks back toward home.

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I→V→vi→IV key of F# major

F# - C# - D#m - B

The four-chord engine behind a thousand pop hits. The lift from I to V opens the chorus, vi pulls down into feeling, IV walks back toward home.

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i→VI→III→VII key of C# minor

C#m - A - E - B

Heroic minor four-chord. The descent from i to VI to III gives the verse weight, VII slingshots back to the tonic. The Andalusian cousin of the pop axis.

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Songs that feature B

Real records where this chord does structural work. No lyrics quoted, just the title and artist so you can pull up a copy and hear it in context.

Get Lucky by Daft Punk. B major as a chorus arrival.
La Vie en Rose by Edith Piaf (standard). B major as part of the lush harmony.
Don't Stop Believin' by Journey. B major as a brief tonal lift.

Related chords

Chords a step away from the B in the songwriting circle, the natural neighbours when you want a substitution.

ParallelBm DomB7 m7Bm7 NeighbourF#m NeighbourF#7 NeighbourE NeighbourEm NeighbourE7

Keys where B lives

The keys where this chord turns up diatonically. Open any key page for the full set of progressions that lean on it.

E major B major F# major C# minor

More songwriting tools

Got the chord but still wrestling with the lyric? Find the right rhyme in RhymeForge, or break a writer's block with the unexpected word-pair generator in CollisionLab. Need to map a full progression? The chord builder on the home page is where the B fits into context. All free, no signup.

About the chord builder

The Undercover Zest chord progression builder is a free interactive tool that maps every diatonic and borrowed chord in every key. Click a Roman numeral to hear it, drag chords into a progression, then audition voicings, inversions and tensions until the song clicks.

This page is a static reference for the B. For interactive playback, voice-leading hints and substitution suggestions, open the chord builder above.