Bb is the chord that turns up as soon as a song leaves the guitar-friendly keys. Play anything in F, and it is there as the IV chord. It has no open shape, and its usual version is a barre at the first fret, where the strings are stiffest. The good news is that B flat is the A major shape moved up one fret, and you can play a complete Bb long before that barre feels comfortable.
Bb chord: notes and shapes at a glance
- Name: B flat major
- Symbol: Bb
- Notes: Bb, D, F
- Where it belongs: V in Eb major, IV in F major, I in Bb major, VII in C minor, VI in D minor, V in Eb minor, III in G minor
Each shape below is written from the thickest string to the thinnest: a
number is the fret, 0 an open string, x a string you
do not play. New to this? See how to read chord diagrams.
| Shape | Frets, low E to high E | Notes, low to high | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bb, four strings | xx3331 | F Bb D F | The easy Bb: first finger on the high E, third finger flat across three strings. Complete, with F in the bass. |
| Bb, no high E | x1333x | Bb F Bb D | Root on the fifth string, one finger per note, high E left silent. Sidesteps the hardest part of the barre. |
| Bb, barre | x13331 | Bb F Bb D F | The standard B flat: the A major shape barred at the first fret, third finger flat across the middle strings. |
| Bb, sixth fret | 688766 | Bb F Bb D F Bb | The E major shape barred at the sixth fret. All six strings, and less string tension than at the first fret. |
Read each diagram from the thickest string on the left to the thinnest on the right. A cross means the string is not played, a circle means it rings open.
Bb on the neck: every Bb, D, F
Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of Bb: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still Bb.
How to play Bb, step by step
1. Four strings: xx3331
First finger on the high E at fret 1. Then lay the third finger flat across the D, G and B strings at fret 3, so one finger frets three notes. Strum the top four strings. You hear F, Bb, D and F: a complete B flat, with F as the lowest note.
2. Add the root: x1333x
Move the first finger to the fifth string (A) at fret 1. That note is Bb, the root. Put the second, third and fourth fingers on the D, G and B strings at fret 3, one finger each. The high E is not played. This is the shape many working guitarists use most of the time, because it avoids the one problem the full barre always brings.
3. The barre: x13331
Lay the first finger from the fifth string to the first at fret 1, then flatten the third finger across the D, G and B strings at fret 3. The first finger only has to press two notes on its own: Bb on the fifth string and F on the first. The hard part is the third finger: it must press three strings while lifting off the high E. Bend its middle joint up, like a small bridge, and the high E rings under it.
Why your Bb sounds wrong, and the fix
| What you hear | Likely cause | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| No high E at all | The flat third finger lies on the first string | Arch its middle joint, or play x1333x and leave the high E out on purpose. |
| The fifth string buzzes | The first finger is far from the fret wire | Slide it right up behind the first fret. |
| A dull thud under the chord | The open low E rings, and E is not in Bb | Start the strum on the fifth string, or touch the low E with the tip of the first finger. |
| The hand tires fast | Squeezing at the first fret, where tension is highest | Practice the same shape at the third fret first (that is C), then walk it down. |
If none of this works yet, there is another way: put a capo on the first fret and play an open A shape (x02220). You hear a full B flat. The capo chart shows the same trick for every key.
Getting in and out of Bb
B flat lives in flat keys, so it travels with F, C, Gm, Dm and Eb. Four beats per chord, slowly, before any speed.
| Change | Shapes | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| F, Bb, C | 133211, x13331, x32010 | I, IV and V of F major. From F to Bb the first finger stays at fret 1: only the shape above it changes. |
| Bb to F | x1333x to 133211 | Leave the first finger down and shift it to cover all six strings. |
| Gm to Bb | 355333 to x13331 | The relative minor and its major. Practice the jump with x1333x first. |
| Dm, Bb, C | xx0231, xx3331, x32010 | A minor key loop. The four string Bb keeps all three chords on the top strings. |
Where Bb shows up
The key list at the top of this page shows every key that holds B flat. In practice, guitarists meet it most as the IV chord of F, where it is the chord that leaves home before C brings you back, and as the major chord of a minor key: the VI of D minor and the III of G minor.
To hear it in context: Green Day's Boulevard of Broken Dreams loops Fm, Ab, Eb and Bb, and Eric Clapton's unplugged Layla moves through Dm, Bb and C. Neighbor chords with their own pages: F, Eb, Dm, and the one fret higher B major. For its minor and suspended versions, see Bbm and Bbsus2.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play a Bb chord on guitar?
What is the easiest way to play Bb?
What notes are in a B flat major chord?
Are Bb and A# the same chord?
Why does the high E string not ring on my Bb?
Who made this
Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris who teaches adults. Every shape on this page is written string by string and checked against standard tuning, and the diagrams are drawn from those same fret numbers. The rest of our free guitar tools, including the chord finder, work the same way.
More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.