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How to Play The B Chord on Bass
The most common way to play the B Chord on bass is at the 9th position of the fretboard, on the A, D, and G strings. Play it with your ring, pinky, and middle fingers. Here’s how to place your fingers:
- Ring finger (3) on fret 9 of the A string
- Pinky finger (4) on fret 9 of the D string
- Middle finger (2) on fret 8 of the G string
The root note, B, is on the 9th fret of the D string, which you can see in the chord diagram below.
You can also play B major as a dyad, which means playing it with only the 2 primary intervals: the root (B) and the 3rd (D#).
You can use this B major arpeggio bass diagram to visualize and construct the B major chord in any position on your fretboard.
Other names for B Major
The B major chord can be written in several ways, including:
- B Major
- Bmaj
- B
These notations all represent the same chord, built from the notes B, D#, and F#.
Practicing the B chord on bass
The B chord is the root chord in the B major scale, so practice it in a 1-4-5 progression in the key of B major. This gives you the chords B – E – F#. Here’s a lesson on how to play the E major chord on the bass.
The B major chord also sounds great as the V chord in the E major scale. Use it in an E major chord progression such as B – A – E.
