The Key of B Major for Guitar
The key of B major has the notes B C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A♯, 5 sharps (F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯), and its relative minor is G♯ minor.
- Chords
- B C♯m D♯m E F♯ G♯m A♯dim
- Main three
- B E F♯
- Key signature of B major
- 5 sharps (F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯)
Chords in the key
Chords in B major · moved from B major · · tap to hear1 home chord of the key
35 on the 3rd and 5th
2 other degrees
Now sounding
Key · Capo
Showing: B major (page key)No capo: you play B major shapes as written.
Fretboard · B major scale
Tap a dot to hear it; it lights amber while it sounds. Brightest dot = 1, the root (B). Lighter grey = 3 and 5. High e on top, frets 0 to 12, no capo. Swipe the board sideways for frets 7 to 12.
Progression · I–IV–V–I
Stopped. Four beats per chord, strum D D U D.
Chords in B major, with notes
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I | B | B D♯ F♯ |
| ii | C♯m | C♯ E G♯ |
| iii | D♯m | D♯ F♯ A♯ |
| IV | E | E G♯ B |
| V | F♯ | F♯ A♯ C♯ |
| vi | G♯m | G♯ B D♯ |
| vii° | A♯dim | A♯ C♯ E |
Seventh chords in B major
Add the next scale note a third above each triad and you get the four-note seventh chords of the key.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | Bmaj7 | B D♯ F♯ A♯ |
| ii7 | C♯m7 | C♯ E G♯ B |
| iii7 | D♯m7 | D♯ F♯ A♯ C♯ |
| IVmaj7 | Emaj7 | E G♯ B D♯ |
| V7 | F♯7 | F♯ A♯ C♯ E |
| vi7 | G♯m7 | G♯ B D♯ F♯ |
| viiø7 | A♯m7♭5 | A♯ C♯ E G♯ |
Shapes and voicings for every chord: chord directory.
Why B major has 5 sharps (F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯)
Every major scale uses the same step pattern: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. Start that pattern on B and the notes land on B C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A♯, so the key needs F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯ and A♯. On one string a whole step is two frets and a half step is one fret, up to the octave at fret 12.
B major scale in first position
Every note of B major in frets 0 to 4. Play one finger per fret: fret 1 = finger 1, fret 2 = finger 2, fret 3 = finger 3, fret 4 = finger 4, open strings need no finger. Start on the lowest root, B on the 5th string, fret 2, and play up string by string.
Tap a dot to hear it. High e on top; the brightest dot is the root.
Past fret 4: B major scale in every position up the neck, with play-along and a root drone. Pentatonic, blues and the modes work over these chords too: see all guitar scales.
Playing in B on guitar
B major is a barre-chord key. E is its only open chord, and only three of the six open strings (both E strings and B) belong to the scale. B and F♯ are barre chords at fret 2, C♯m, D♯m and G♯m higher up the neck.
A capo is the usual fix: capo 4 with G shapes turns B, E and F♯ into G, C and D, and five of the seven chords get open G-key shapes (only Bm and F♯dim do not). Capo 2 with A shapes is the other common choice and keeps the capo low on the neck.
Without a capo, two small shapes help: B7 (x 2 1 2 0 2) is an open dominant chord for blues in B, and a three-string B (x x 4 4 4 x) covers the barre in a strum. The open B string is the root of the key, so it works as a drone under single-note lines.
Common progressions in B major
| Degrees | Chords | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| I–IV–V–I | B E F♯ B | B E F♯ B: with capo 4 this is G C D G, the first three chords most players learn. |
| I–V–vi–IV | B F♯ G♯m E | B F♯ G♯m E: the pop loop in B, or G D Em C with capo 4. |
| vi–IV–I–V | G♯m E B F♯ | G♯m E B F♯: the loop from the relative minor; capo 4 makes it Em C G D. |
| I–vi–IV–V | B G♯m E F♯ | B G♯m E F♯: the 1950s loop. Without a capo, E is the only chord that is not a barre. |
| ii–V–I | C♯m F♯ B B | C♯m F♯ B: a ii–V–I that sits on the A-shape and E-shape barres at frets 2 to 4. |
Pick one in the player above and press Play to strum along, four beats per chord.
Capo and B major
Capo 4 with G shapes is the standard way to play in B: G, C and D become B, E and F♯. Capo 2 with A shapes and capo 7 with E shapes also sound in B; A shapes suit songs that live on I, IV and V.
| Capo | B shapes sound in |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | C major |
| Fret 2 | D♭ major |
| Fret 3 | D major |
| Fret 4 | E♭ major |
| Fret 5 | E major |
| Fret 6 | F major |
| Fret 7 | F♯ major |
Song in another key? Capo for B major songs: the capo fret and easier shapes, or any other key.
New to the capo? How to use a capo: where to clamp it and why the same shapes sound in a new key.
Relative minor: G♯ minor
G♯ minor uses the same seven notes, starting on G♯, the 6th note of the scale. Its chord is the vi in the row above. Songs often move between the two keys without changing a single chord shape.
Have a recording and no idea what key it is in? Find the key of a song from the audio file or by letting it listen; it also gives the chords to play and the easiest capo.
Related keys
- The key of G♯ minorrelative
- The key of B minorparallel
- The key of E majorcircle, one step left
- The key of F♯ majorcircle, one step right
See how every key connects: interactive circle of fifths.
FAQ about B major
What chords are in the key of B major?
B, C♯m, D♯m, E, F♯, G♯m and A♯dim. B (I), E (IV) and F♯ (V) are the main three.
Do I need barre chords to play in B major?
Not with a capo. Put it on fret 4 and play G major shapes, or on fret 2 and play A major shapes; both sound in B.
How many sharps does B major have?
Five: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯ and A♯. Only E and B are natural notes in the key.
Is B major the same as C flat major?
Same pitches, different spelling: C♭ major is written with seven flats. B major, with five sharps, is the spelling almost all music uses.
Next steps in B major
- Progressions in B majorgenerate, hear and loop chord progressions in this key
- B major pentatonicfive notes for melodies and fills
- Guitar tunertune up before you play along