Bb Guitar Chord For Beginners - National Guitar Academy (2024)

Want to learn to play the Bb guitar chord? You’re in the right place!

In this free guitar lesson you will learn:

• 3 super – easy ways to play the Bb guitar chord.
• The no1 secret to learning chords quickly.
• 3 tips and tricks that will take your guitar playing to the next level.

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How do I play the Bb Guitar Chord?

Before we get into learning how to play easy versions of the Bb guitar chord, let’s take a look at the two most common Bb major shapes.

Bb Guitar Chord Root On The E String

Here’s the main Bb guitar chord.

In this case, the root note (the first note in the chord) is on the low E string. (6th string.)

Here’s the chord box:

To play this chord:

• Place your 1st finger on the 6th fret of the low E string.(6th string.)

(This is tricky as you have to barre over! Have a go, but don’t worry if it’s too hard. Barre chords aren’t easy)

• Place your 3rd finger on the 8th fret of the A string. (5th string.)
• Place your 4th finger on the 8th fret of the D string. (4th string.)
• Place your 2nd finger on the 7th fret of the G string. (3rd string.)
• Strum all the strings.

Pro Guitar Tip!

If the word ‘minor’ isn’t in the name of the chord, this means that the chord is major.

So in today’s lesson we are learning a ‘Bb major chord’.

Bb Guitar Chord Root On The A String

Here’s another Bb major barre chord, this time the root is on the A string.

Here’s the chord box:

To play this chord:

• Barre your first finger on the 1st fret from the A string (5th string) to the high E string. (1st string.)
• Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd fret of the D string. (4th string.)
• Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd fret of the G string. (3rd string.)
• Place your 4th finger on the 3rd fret of the B string. (2nd string.)

Easy Ways To Play The Bb Guitar Chord

We’re going to show you 3 super-easy ways to play the Bb guitar chord.

For tips on guidance on how to barre chords, watch this video. Mike will help you.

Let’s get stuck in.

1) 2 Finger Bb Guitar Chord

This chord is perfect for beginners as it only uses two fingers.

Here’s the chord box:

To play this chord:

• Place your 1st finger on the 1st fret of the low E string (6th string.)
• Place your 2nd finger on the 1st fret of the A string (5th string.)
• Strum the E (6th string), A (5th string) and D string (4th string) together.

Don’t worry too much about hitting the wrong strings here, just concentrate on nailing this chord.

To learn how to skip strings while strumming, go here: How To Skip Strings While Strumming

2) 3 Finger Bb Guitar Chord

This chord is fantastic for beginners as it only uses 3 fingers.

It can be tricky to squeeze the fingers into place, however once you have this chord down you’ll be rocking out in no time.

Here’s the chord box:

To play this Bb guitar chord:

• Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd fret of the G string. (3rd string.)
• Place your 4th finger on the 3rd fret of the B string (2nd string.)
• Place your 1st finger on the 1st fret of the high E string. (1st string.)

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3) The A Shape Bb Guitar Chord

This Bb guitar chord uses the exact same shape as the ‘A major chord’.

Let’s compare. Here’s the A chord:

If you already know how to play the standard A major chord, just move this shape to the 3rd fret.

Here’s the Bb guitar chord:

To play this chord:

• Place your 1st finger on the 3rd fret of the D string. (4th string.)
• Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd fret of the G string. (3rd string.)
• Place your 3rd Finger on the 3rd fret of the B string. (2nd string.)

Learning the guitar is good for you, it’s scientifically proven. Check out this article by Guitar World to find out more: 10 Scientifically Proven Reasons You Should Play Guitar

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I don’t want to cut corners, let me learn the hard guitar chords first!

If you’re a complete beginner, the quickest way to learn guitar is to learn the EASIEST chords first. Learning more advanced guitar chords stunts your progress.

It’s far better to learn easy chords first, then when you’re ready, you can ‘graduate’ to more advanced chords.

That way you’re gradually preparing yourself for each step of your guitar journey.

When you’re first learning how to play guitar, it’s far more important to play MUSIC than focus on advanced guitar chords. Do your guitar progress a favour and learn how to play some super-simple songs.

You can find easy songs here: 10 Easy Songs On Guitar

How do I remember guitar chords?

Here’s a quick and easy tip which will help you remember guitar chords at lightening speed.

• Once you’ve played a chord correctly, squeeze your fretting hand 5 times.

This chord hack will help you learn chords quickly and effectively. However, it’s important that you play the chord correctly BEFORE you squeeze your hand.

If the chord is incorrect, and you squeeze your hand, you’ll be teaching your hand to remember the chord wrong.

What about other chords?

If you want to become an epic guitarist, you must know how to play other guitar chords.

Here’s a list of essential chords that you must know.

• The C Chord
• The A Minor Chord
• The G Chord
• The D Chord
• Bm Guitar Chord
• The E Major Chord
• The Em Chord

You can learn all of these chords here: 14 Easy Guitar Chords For Beginners

Why do I need to know beginner guitar chords?

Guitar chords form the foundation of ALL music.

You must know guitar chords to be able play easy songs! Learning guitar chords is also a fantastic way of enhancing your musicality.

If you want to learn easy songs and how to enhance your musicality, check out these FREE lessons:

• 10 Easy Songs On Guitar
• How To Strum A Guitar
• 5 Guitar Songs For Beginners

Here are some other cool-sounding Bb chords
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