B♭, the B♭ major guitar chord

B♭ is the B major grip moved down one fret, right up against the nut: the index barres five strings at the 1st fret, the ring finger flattens across three at the 3rd, and the low E sits out of the strum. Songs in F lean on it the way songs in G lean on C. This is the stubbornest spot on the neck for a barre, because the strings give the least this close to the nut, so if it feels harder than B did, blame the position, not your hands. Pick the five strings one at a time and listen for the three under the flat ring finger.

B♭
Ⓡ×13

How to play it

  • Index finger flattened across the A string (5th) and high E string (1st), 1st fret.
  • Ring finger flattened across the D string (4th), G string (3rd) and B string (2nd), 3rd fret.
  • Don't strum the low E string (6th). It stays silent in this shape.

Changes to practice

Holding B♭ still is the easy part. Songs need you to arrive at it in rhythm, so in Strumhold you practice B♭ as changes, alongside the rest of the A-shape Barres set:

Same root, different color