B7 Chord on Guitar
B7 B D♯ F♯ A 3 shapes Open chord
Chord diagrams
How to play B7 on guitar
The B7 chord (B7) is made of B, D♯, F♯, A - 1 3 5 b7. On a guitar in standard tuning the easiest way to play it is the open shape x21202, with no barre. Below are 3 shapes in all, from the lowest on the neck to the highest; the same chord sounds brighter the higher you play it.
A-shape barre, fret 2 x24242
E-shape barre, fret 7 797877
Strings from the low E (left) to the high E (right). Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little. x = do not play the string, o = open string, a bar = one finger across several strings.
Notes
What notes are in B7?
The B7 chord has 4 different notes: B, D♯, F♯, A. The major triad plus a minor seventh (10 half steps above B) - the dominant chord that pulls towards the key a fifth below. A guitar chord rarely has as many strings as notes, so shapes double some of them: the e-shape barre, fret 7 sounds all six strings.
| Note | Interval from the root | Half steps |
|---|---|---|
| B | Root | 0 |
| D♯ | Major 3rd | 4 |
| F♯ | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| A | Minor 7th | 10 |
Songs
Songs with the B7 chord
Easy songs on this site that use B7, with the chords over the lyrics and a guitar that plays along.
Questions
Frequently asked
How do you play B7 on guitar?
The open shape x21202: A string fret 2 (finger 2), D string fret 1 (finger 1), G string fret 2 (finger 3), high E string fret 2 (finger 4); let B ring open, do not play low E.
What notes are in the B7 chord?
The B7 chord (B7) is made of B, D♯, F♯, A. Its formula is 1 3 5 b7. On the guitar, some of those notes are played twice on different strings.
Is there a barre version of B7?
Yes: a-shape barre, fret 2 (x24242), and e-shape barre, fret 7 (797877). Barre shapes have no open strings, so you can cut the sound short with your fretting hand.
Keep playing
Strum B7, then build a song around it
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