B♭ Chord on Guitar
Notes B♭ D F. Start with the 4-string B♭ (x x 3 3 3 1), then the A-shape barre at fret 1.
Chord · B♭ major
Easy B♭ (4 strings) · x x 3 3 3 1
movable, no open strings
A-shape barre (fret 1) · x 1 3 3 3 1
barre, movable
E-shape barre (fret 6) · 6 8 8 7 6 6
barre, movable
D-shape, 4 strings (fret 8) · x x 8 10 11 10
movable, no open strings
1 B♭3 D5 F
- Barre: ring finger flat across strings 4 to 2 at fret 3
- String 6 (low E): muted, do not play
- String 5 (A): muted, do not play
- String 4 (D): ring (3), fret 3
- String 3 (G): ring (3), fret 3
- String 2 (B): ring (3), fret 3
- String 1 (high e): index (1), fret 1
- Barre: index finger flat across strings 5 to 1 at fret 1
- String 6 (low E): muted, do not play
- String 5 (A): index (1), fret 1
- String 4 (D): ring (3), fret 3
- String 3 (G): ring (3), fret 3
- String 2 (B): ring (3), fret 3
- String 1 (high e): index (1), fret 1
- Barre: index finger flat across strings 6 to 1 at fret 6
- String 6 (low E): index (1), fret 6
- String 5 (A): ring (3), fret 8
- String 4 (D): pinky (4), fret 8
- String 3 (G): middle (2), fret 7
- String 2 (B): index (1), fret 6
- String 1 (high e): index (1), fret 6
- String 6 (low E): muted, do not play
- String 5 (A): muted, do not play
- String 4 (D): index (1), fret 8
- String 3 (G): middle (2), fret 10
- String 2 (B): pinky (4), fret 11
- String 1 (high e): ring (3), fret 10
Notes and formula
| Degree | Note | Interval from B♭ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B♭ | root |
| 3 | D | major 3rd |
| 5 | F | perfect 5th |
Formula 1 3 5 (major). Same chord as A♯: same pitches, same shapes.
Also written Bb, B flat major, A♯, A sharp major.
More on this chord type: Barre chords
Capo shapes that sound as B♭
Open shapes you may already know, moved up with a capo.
A shape + capo 1
G shape + capo 3
E shape + capo 6
Need the capo fret for a whole song? Capo calculator: any song key, any shapes. New to the capo? How to use a capo.
Progressions with B♭
| Key · progression | Chords | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| B♭ major I–V–vi–IV | B♭ – F – Gm – E♭ | |
| B♭ major I–IV–V–I | B♭ – E♭ – F – B♭ | |
| E♭ major I–vi–IV–V | E♭ – Cm – A♭ – B♭ | |
| E♭ major vi–IV–I–V | Cm – A♭ – E♭ – B♭ | |
| D minor i–VII–VI–VII | Dm – C – B♭ – C |
Keys that contain B♭
| Key | B♭ is the |
|---|---|
| B♭ major | I |
| E♭ major | V |
| F major | IV |
| D minor | VI |
| G minor | III |
| C minor | VII |
Minor keys here use the natural minor scale.
Playing B♭: what goes wrong
B♭ next to F
B♭ is the IV chord in F major, so it usually comes right after F. The E-shape F and the A-shape B♭ both have the index barre at fret 1: keep it down and move only the other fingers.
Muted high e
The ring-finger barre on strings 4 to 2 tends to touch string 1. Either arch the ring finger at the last joint or leave string 1 out (x 1 3 3 3 x); all three notes of B♭ are still there.
Related chords
Learn and practise B♭
- Metronomepractise the change to B♭ at 60 BPM
- How to read chord chartsstrings, frets, fingers, x and o
- Chord finder (chord namer)name any other shape you find
FAQ
What notes are in B♭?
B♭, D, F: the 1, 3, 5 of the B♭ major chord. A♯ is the same chord spelt with a sharp.
Is B♭ the same as A♯?
Yes, same pitches and the same shapes. Chord sheets almost always write B♭, because the keys that would spell it A♯ are written with flats instead.