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Guitar Standard
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B flat major (Bb) chord on guitar

Notes
B♭DF
Formula
135

How to play Bb on guitar

  1. Shape 1 · fret 1 · barre

    Bb chord on guitar, shape 1: barre at fret 1, notes Bb, D, F

  2. Shape 2 · fret 6 · barre

    Bb chord on guitar, shape 2: barre at fret 6, notes Bb, D, F

  3. Shape 3 · fret 3 · barre

    Bb chord on guitar, shape 3: barre at fret 3, notes Bb, D, F

  4. Shape 4 · fret 8

    Bb chord on guitar, shape 4: from fret 8, notes Bb, D, F

Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky. x = do not play the string, o = open string. The coloured dot is the root (B flat). The same shapes work on acoustic, classical and electric guitar.

Bb inversions on guitar

The same Bb with another chord note in the bass (the lowest note that sounds). The notes stay the same, but the colour changes, and the bass line can move by step from one chord to the next. In a chord symbol, the bass comes after the slash.

  1. 3rd (D) in the bass1st inversion · Bb/D

    B flat major, Bb/D, xx0331B♭/D341DB♭DFmetronotuner.com

  2. 3rd (D) in the bass1st inversion · Bb/D

    B flat major, Bb/D, x5333xB♭/D3311DFB♭Dmetronotuner.com

  3. 5th (F) in the bass2nd inversion · Bb/F

    B flat major, Bb/F, 11033xB♭/F1234FB♭DB♭Dmetronotuner.com

  4. 5th (F) in the bass2nd inversion · Bb/F

    B flat major, Bb/F, xx3336B♭/F3114FB♭DB♭metronotuner.com

About the major chord

A major chord sounds open, stable and "resolved". It is the backbone of pop, rock, country and folk: the three main chords of a major key (I, IV and V) are all major, and most songs end on one of them.

Notes and intervals of Bb

Bb (B flat major) is built from 3 notes. Each one fills a degree of the chord:

  • B♭ · 1 · root
  • D · 3 · major third
  • F · 5 · perfect fifth

Other B flat chords

Major: other roots

Chords that go with Bb

In the key of Bb (major), the chords that most often go with it are the IV, the V, the vi and the ii:

Arpeggio

Frequently asked questions

How do you play the Bb chord on guitar?

Bb (B flat major) has 4 fingerings on this page, from easiest to hardest. Each diagram shows the fingers, the open strings (o) and the strings you do not play (x), and you can hear every shape.

What notes are in Bb?

The notes of Bb are B♭, D, F. The formula is 1 · 3 · 5: root, major third, perfect fifth.

What does Bb mean?

Bb is the chord symbol for B flat major. A major chord sounds open, stable and "resolved". It is the backbone of pop, rock, country and folk: the three main chords of a major key (I, IV and V) are all major, and most songs end on one of them.

Can I play Bb on other instruments?

Yes. Bb also has a page on ukulele, on cavaquinho, with the fingerings for each instrument.

Bb on other instruments

All guitar chords