Playing All 12 Major Chords Using The B-chord Form

A display of acoustic guitars. Photo Credits

Knowing how to play B-chord as a barre chord allows you to play every major chord by simply moving up the neck. You simply need to know the name of the note that you are playing on its root string, the 5th string, to determine the name of the chord that you are playing.

For your quick reference about the notes of the 5th string on specific frets, see the table below:

FRET

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

10th

11th

12th

NOTE

Bb

B

C

C#/Db

D

D#/Eb

E

F

F#/Gb

G

G#/Ab

A

" # "means sharp (C# is read as C-sharp)
" b " means flat (Bb is read as B-flat)

Remember: The notes and frets work sort of like a clock. After you get past 12, they repeat, so the thirteenth fret is the same as the first (Bb); the fourteenth is the same as the second (B); and so on...

Before moving on, practice your skills in playing A-based barre chords using the simple progression below:

Don't forget to play the staccato marks, the slashes with dots above, as di-di-di.