B guitar chord challenging you too?

Don’t be discouraged, because if you follow the principles here, you will make it second nature to you.

Once you’ve mastered this barre chord, it will open up chord options all along the keyboard
so it’s worth the effort, and if you read these lines, I guess you have the motivation to master the guitar chords.

The features of the B guitar chord

Why Guitar Guitar B challenges us?

• In its full version, it forces a wide aperture between the finger 1 and finger 2 with
  the second fret between them.
• One finger has to a barre so to press down on all six strings.
• In the relatively easy version you’ll see below, or if you play a classical style,
  fingers 2 and 4 need to get into the third fret under each other.
  Or in the case of someone who plays an acoustic or electric guitar finger 3 or 4 presses at once strings 2, 3 and 4 on the fourth fret.

The four B chord shapes to identify how strong is your left-hand 

All chords in music are based on three basic notes from the music scale associated with each chord.

Since I want this article to be very practical I choose not to go deeper into the theory of music,
and just to tell you that these notes in the B chord are:
B, D #, F#.
Each of these three sounds can appear more than once and at different pitches.

The rare B chord

This is the easiest way to play this chord includes only the three basic notes of the chord
and you press them down with fingers 1, 3 and 4.

Who is it for?

• Students under the age of 8.
• If you play the guitar less than a month.
• If you play a small guitar in relation to your size and it would be too compressed for fingers to play a full chord.
• When you need a free finger play a melodic line on the first 3 frets on the first string or the bass strings.
• This can be a good and minimalist choice if you play with an instrument that plays low notes like bass or trombone.

How to play this chord shape?

• Press down each note with the tip of your finger rather than on the sides of your fingertip.
• Pay attention that your pinky does not mute the first string with its inside

The medium B guitar chord

This shape is a continuation of the previous shape only with one small change which is actually a big one:
Finger 2 should stretch to Fret 4 in string 4.

After spending the previous chord for a few days and getting used to it,
you probably feel it a bit anemic and lacked the full sound of the other chords like Am, C or G.

The second form is an intermediate stage that puts you on aperture between a finger 1 finger 2.

Who is it for?

This chord is for those who already play the previous form comfortably.

I watch many guitar players, especially singers who accompany themselves,
that choose this form that still allows a certain lightness in the left hand compared to the shape of the barre.

How to play this chord shape?

• It’s vital that you lose your left-hand wrist.
• Allow your wrist to rise slightly and position finger 2 to the 4th more from the left side of
  the fingerboard rather than below it. It will help you to achieve this aperture with more ease.
  This is a guiding principle for all of the following forms of B chord.
• Keep the knuckles well curved when pressing the strings so they will not collapse inward
  and loosen the grip of the chord.
• Make sure you can project well each note while holding the chord.
• Notice that the thumb behind the neck is loose and attached to the neck of the guitar.

The medium well B guitar chord

This is a significant leap in the level of difficulty because here you have to press with barre
from string 1 to string 5.
At this point you have two alternatives:

Keep pressing the notes with fingers 2,3 and 4:

Or

Replace them with flattening finger 3 on all three strings:

Yes, I know it looks crazy at first but after certain practice, it feels applicable.

Who is it for?

• If you’ve already used the two previous chord shapes.
• If you want to change chords with some passing notes in the basses,
  for example, alternating the B note of the barre in the 5th string with the open string (A).

How to play this chord shape?

I have an intermediate chord shape that can help you here for both options:

This position of finger 1 should prepare you for the bar form.

• The longer you flatten finger 1 during the spending period of this alternative shape,
  the more the transition to the five-string barre form will be smoother and more natural.
• When you play the medium well B chord, check that each one of the notes comes out clearly.
• I would advise you to practice this in short intervals of 3 seconds of pressing and resting in two stages:

In the first step, place each finger on its string without pressing it against the fingerboard.

In the second step, press the chord and strum with the other hand all at once for 3 seconds and let go.

Do it several times in every session and each day.

Avoid playing the 6th string because it’s a note that will sound less related to this type of B chord.

The well-done B guitar chord

Switching from the previous shape to this shape should be the easiest of all previous levels.

The one more note we get on the 6th string is one of the three base sounds of the chord (F #) and allows you to strum on all the strings freely.

Who is it for?

• For those who are already completely comfortable with the previous shape of the chord.
• If you want to create interesting intermediate-advanced bass lines while you play the B chord

How to play this chord shape?

• Place finger 1 over the sixth string at least half an inch from the tip of your finger.
• Place the lower more fleshy part of finger 1 on string 1.
• Practice it with the intervals I mentioned in the medium-well chord shape.

Conclusion

After you manage to play the B guitar chord in a clean, no-buzzing tone, it puts you in the advanced stage of the guitar.

The full chord, in my opinion, is a must if you see yourself playing a fingerstyle and opening up to you very interesting musical possibilities that you can apply in strings 5 and 6.

Remember that almost every chord feels strange at first and even “not applicable”
but remember that a guitar is an instrument for humans and not for superheroes so
I am sure that if you follow the steps I wrote here you will be a better guitar player and enjoy the guitar much more!

Good Luck.