How to Play Do It Again on Guitar

Over the years no chord has caused more than reaction from students than the B guitar chord (except possibly the infamous "F" chord). Many students take come to me for help, accept already tried using the B major chord... and failed miserably.

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More often than not they'd rather pretend information technology doesn't exist. Some brave souls are ready to give it another try… But you tin can see the anxiousness on their face. No i likes to feel similar a failure.

And the sad fact is it really doesn't have to be that way. It'due south normally a lack of proper guidance, or they're not approaching the chord in a systematic way that is at the lesser of their bad experience.

If you lot haven't even tried the B chord yet yous may exist in luck. No bad habits, and no painful memories.

Do You lot Need the B Guitar Chord?

Fair question!

I remember in the first few years of playing guitar I avoided whatsoever vocal that had the B chord. Afterwards a while I had quite a collection of songs that I wanted to play but was avoiding.

You lot won't have to do that. Even if you lot're a brand-new beginner you lot will larn to play whatsoever song with a B chord.

Why the B Major Chord Has a Bad Rap

The B major guitar chord is ane of a handful of commonly used chords that doesn't quite fit the "open up chord" format. What I mean is that you can't play the B (a short name for B Major) with open strings like yous can the C, D, G, A, and then on.

Are in that location many chords similar that? Y'all betcha...

Only the departure is that many of those chords you can live without… Particularly if you desire to play folk style guitar. The B, along with a few other chords like F, Bb and B minor are necessary... or at least going to come up very oft. That puts these chords in a different category.

The good news is that once you lot master even one class of the B chord you can apply the same principles to playing a agglomeration of other chords.

3 Forms of the B Guitar Chord

The manner we're going to approach this is to employ iii different forms of the B chord. Nosotros'll start with the easiest form and progress to the ones that are usually considered more hard to finger.

Here's the affair… All these forms are useful. None are "throw aways" that you won't use once again subsequently learning the more difficult form. You lot'll notice that fifty-fifty if you tin play the near difficult form there will ever be a situation where the less strenuous grade will be the best choice.

Will I Have To Learn All Three Forms?

You might be thinking… "Volition I have to acquire all three forms"?

Absolutely non.

If y'all but learn the first form it'due south perfectly fine. In fact I encourage you to learn the offset grade and utilise it for awhile before moving on unless you've already been playing bar chords.

Offset I'll go to the iii forms and explain how to play them besides as what the advantages and disadvantages are of each class. And then I'll become through a arrangement for practicing that will supercharge your progress tremendously.

Did I Mention "Practice"?

Yeah, practice is disquisitional… But don't stress.

The main reason people don't practise is they don't know what to practice and in what order. Were going to solve that here then you'll know exactly what to practise.

And it won't have a lifetime. If you can put in 5 to 10 minutes a twenty-four hours on the specific exercises I'll give y'all, you'll not only master the chords merely you'll have a whole new outlook on what's possible for your guitar playing.

So let'southward get started with the easiest and extremely useful form of B…

Grade #1: Iv Strings, Four Fingers & Barless

Who Is Information technology For?

If you are make-new beginner I recommend y'all commencement with this first B chord. It's fairly easy on the fingers. It's not only the easiest but also actually does audio good. The principal reason it's the easiest is because you won't need to use whatever type of "bar" to form this version.

Advantages:

• No "bar" needed to play this chord.
• It as well doesn't require any big stretches.
• When you practice it you lot'll also exist preparing yourself for other chords in the time to come.
• It does sound good and will fit most places that yous demand a B major chord to play a song.
• It works particularly well when you don't want an overly full sound. This is common when playing with other musicians like a keyboard or bass player considering they are already playing the bass notes.

Disadvantages:

• It'due south non equally full sounding every bit the side by side two versions.
• Information technology doesn't piece of work well with strums that involve hitting the bass annotation.
• If you're not accustomed to using your pinky it might take a little piece of work to become it to cooperate.

How to Practice information technology:

• Put the showtime finger on the 2nd fret of the first string (the high East).
• Stretch your 2nd finger over to the fourth string, 4th fret.
• Place your third finger on the third string, 4th fret.
• Identify your pinky on the 2d string, fourth fret (I commonly accept students identify the second, third and pinky down altogether).
• Strum the top four strings to make sure all notes are sounding (skip the fifth and sixth strings).
• Take your fingers off, milkshake your manus, and effort it over again.
• You lot did it!

Summary:

This four finger version of the B chord is a keen pick for a beginner to start off with. Y'all'll likely want to learn a bar chord version in the future to accept more options depending on the sound yous want. Fortunately learning this version will set up you to play a bar chord version.

Form #ii: Adding Some Bottom Finish

Who Is Information technology For?

This is a proficient version to acquire once you're fairly comfortable with form #1. It also may exist the start version you learn if you're already comfortable with bar chords. Information technology works particularly well on a nylon string guitar.

Advantages:

• Information technology has a fuller sound than Form #1.
• If y'all can already play Form #1 the only addition will exist using a bar.
• Makes the bass notes available for strums that use information technology.
• Allows you to play many chords in improver to the B major by just moving it up and down the fretboard.

Disadvantages:

• The bar chord tin be difficult.
• It can be hard to become all the fingers squeezed in on a guitar with a sparse neck (i.e. electric).
• Since you're roofing more strings in that location's more opportunity for muted and buzzing strings.

How to Practice information technology:

• Start past fingering Form #1 of the B chord.
• Now, leaving your 2d, 3rd, and fourth fingers were they are… Motility your first finger beyond the second fret to grade a bar across the acme five (or half dozen if it's easier) strings.
• Strum the top five strings to make sure all notes are sounding (don't worry about the sixth string right now).
• Take your fingers off, shake your mitt, and endeavour it again.

NOTE: If you're new to bar chords and you're finding it difficult I recommend doing the Bar Chord Do (included as part of this video) for at least several days before coming back to this version.

Summary:

Though this version does utilize the often dreaded "bar technique" it does have many uses, particularly when you demand a full sounding chord or are using a strum that includes the bass note. It besides is a "movable" grade… That means you actually will be learning many chords in the process.

It'south highly recommended that yous acquire Form #1 first since it'south a bang-up stepping stone to playing this class.

Form #3: Only Two Fingers & Easy To Motion

Who Is It For?

It'southward definitely the easiest to use on an electric guitar where the neck is sparse and the strings are lite. I likewise use this most of the time when playing acoustic guitar. Though information technology might seem difficult at offset, once y'all larn the "partial bar" technique you'll likely find this version the quickest and easiest to use.

Advantages:

• Considering it uses only 2 fingers information technology's quicker to make the chord.
• It'due south the easiest version to move up and down the neck to form different bar chords.
• It leaves the pinky free to practice other interesting things.

Disadvantages:

• The "fractional bar technique" can accept a bit to get the hang of.
• It'due south more difficult on the guitar with a wide neck like a classical guitar.

How To Do It:

• Form a full bar across the 2d fret. You can either get out out the 6th cord or form the bar all the way across… Either ane volition work fine.
• Now apply your third finger to form a partial bar across the fourth, tertiary, and second strings at the 4th fret (have a expect at the chord diagram for Form #iii).
• Check to make sure that the first knuckle on your 3rd finger is complanate and the second knuckle sticking upwardly in the air.
• Your pollex should be behind the neck of the guitar with the ball your thumb resting on the neck.
• Strum all the strings to make sure all notes are sounding (don't worry about the 6th cord correct now).
• Have your fingers off, milk shake your hand, and try it again.

NOTE: Like Class #2 if you're finding the "bar technique" difficult I recommend doing the Bar Chord Exercise (included as role of this video).

Summary:

This version, often the exclusive version used by electric guitar players, is also my "go to" version for playing acoustic guitar. I find information technology the quickest version to get to when I'm moving effectually the guitar. At the same time the "partial bar technique" can accept a while to larn and is something you may desire to work at piffling by little over time.

How To Practice The B Chord (Whatsoever Grade)

• Take a B chord finger position (form) that you want to piece of work on. First with simply 1.
• Slowly finger the chord, then take all your fingers off and start over.
• Do this a dozen times or more. If your mitt begins to feel tense shake it out and relax.
• Now practice playing the chord and moving to another chord. To start with I recommend playing the A major chord. Strum four times straight down (salvage more elaborate strums for later) on the B chord, then strum four times on the A chord.
• Now try practicing while keeping a slow steady pulse. You lot tin tap your foot, bob your head or just experience the pulse internally. Practice changing without slowing down or pausing.
• When you can practice this fairly well attempt doing information technology with a metronome at a tiresome tempo.
• Finally, add a tertiary chord and repeat the process. Trivial past footling choice up the tempo and practise irresolute more rapidly.

Where to Go From Here?

"Begin at the outset," the Rex said, very gravely, "and go on till y'all come to the end: then stop."

Alice in Wonderland

Part of the key to learning any new chord on the guitar is to start small and keep building what you tin can practice. I've seen many students jump to the most difficult class, get frustrated, and then end trying birthday.

Y'all're non 1 of those!

Kickoff from where you're at. If that'due south the simplest form then so be it.

Work at it a trivial bit each 24-hour interval… Fifty-fifty merely five minutes. Offset practice just fingering the chord, taking the fingers off, and putting them back on and hearing how it sounds. Do xx repetitions, three times a day. Hey… That'south only a total of well-nigh three minutes of exercise. You still take two minutes left.

So start practicing the exercise of irresolute from the B to the A chord. Become wearisome… But be persistent. Kickoff don't worry well-nigh the timing. Go on working with a good steady pulse. Slow… Only persistent.

Now endeavor doing it with a metronome. This will upwards the game a bit as you try to keep time.

Make the chord once again. Run across how long y'all can go before you get off the groove. End when you go frustrated… And come dorsum at it once more afterward.

Then, when you're set up, try playing your budding B chord in a elementary song. Start with simply three chords. Again… Become slow and exist persistent.

If you lot've been following my recommendations you should start feeling a sense of confidence with the first course of B chord that you started with. If you feel ready there's a couple means to go (possibly both)…

1. Try the side by side chord in terms of difficulty. Go through the aforementioned procedure to work up existence able to change between B and one other chord. Then try using it in a uncomplicated song.

2. You can also attempt using the simpler version of the chord in more than circuitous songs. Piece of work at changing faster. Use information technology in songs with more chords.

The important point is to proceed finding ways to use it and so that you continue to get quicker with the fingering and smoother at changing chords.

I'd love to hear how it'due south going for you. Permit me know in the comments beneath about how y'all're progressing with this lesson and the B chord.

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Near the author

Tomas Michaud

Playing guitar and creating music is a dream come up true for me. I know it can exist for y'all too. Yous wouldn't exist given the desire to play music if y'all didn't accept the chapters to achieve it. I help people every solar day all over the world to achieve their dream using step-past-step systems that I've been refining for over 40 years. I'd like to help you lot.

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Source: https://www.tomasmichaud.com/b-chord-guitar-finger-position/

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