B6 guitar chord: see the fingering, compare positions, and hear it before you play.
P - i - m - a · Classic Ascending (4/4 · 4 notes · Level 1)
The thumb plays B on the 5th and the three top strings add up to 3 different notes. All 6 arpeggios
Steady bass with uniform ascending movement.
Play B6 one string at a time and you hear B, D#, F# and G#. B is the root, D# the major third, F# the fifth and G# the sixth. Said aloud, its notes are B, D sharp, F sharp and G sharp.
String by string, low to high, it plays B, F#, B, D# and G#. The root, B, shows up twice in the main shape. It runs from B on string 5 up to G# on string 1.
You play B6 with a barre at fret 4. String 6 stays silent. Your hand covers three frets, from 2 to 4. There is one more position, starting at fret 7.
Change only string 1 in B6 and you have B. Inside B6 sits a complete G#m chord, made of B, D# and G#. Abm shares three positions with this shape.
You will find B6 in six different keys. In B major it is the I6, in E major the V6 and in F# major the IV6. The rest appear in the key list.
B 1D# 3F# 5G# 6
Root Bass (Fundamental String)5th String (A) • Fret 2 (B)
String Control (Muted & Active)5 / 6 • 1 X Muted
Placement tip: Barre fret 4. Press: 5th String (A) at fret 2. Don't play: 6th String (Low E).
Placement tip: Barre fret 7. Press: 5th String (A) at fret 9 with your Ring finger, 4th String (D) at fret 9 with your Ring finger, 3rd String (G) at fret 8 with your Middle finger, 2nd String (B) at fret 9 with your Pinky finger.
| Item | In this chord |
|---|---|
| Frets | 2 to 4 |
| Barre | fret 4, from the 4th to the 1st string |
| Fretting fingers | 2 |
| Open | none |
| Muted | 6th |
At fret 4, only the barre sounds the 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and 1st strings.
Listen: B6 → B · Abm · E
B6 sits in the scale of 6 keys.
The questions that come up most when playing this chord
To play the B6 chord on guitar, only 5 strings are played, from string 5 to string 1. Muted strings must be gently dampened with the fleshy side of a fretting finger to prevent dissonance.
The primary bass note of the B6 chord is its root note: B. In standard guitar tuning (EADGBe), this bass note is located on string 5 at fret 2.
When strumming or fingerpicking, strike this string first.
The B6 chord is constructed using the 1 - 3 - 5 - 6 formula (Major Sixth). Its constituent pitches are B, D#, F#, G#.
To prevent fret buzz on the B6 barre chord, roll your index finger slightly outward (about 15 degrees) to press with its harder bony edge. Position your finger directly behind the fret wire and apply gentle arm pull from your back rather than squeezing with thumb force.
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