How to Play B Minor on Guitar

B minor has a reputation, and it is deserved. It is usually the first chord a self-taught guitarist meets that cannot be played with an open shape, which makes it feel like a wall rather than a step. It is worth knowing that everyone finds it awkward at first, and that there are perfectly respectable ways to play it while your hand catches up.

What the chord is made of

A B minor triad contains three notes: B, D and F sharp. Any shape that gives you those notes, in any arrangement, is a B minor chord. That fact is the key to every easier version below, because none of them are compromises in a harmonic sense. They are simply different arrangements of the same three notes.

The standard barre shape

The usual fingering is an A minor shape moved up the neck two frets, with the index finger acting as a movable nut.

• Lay the index finger flat across the second fret, covering the A string through to the high E string.
• Third finger on the fourth fret of the D string.
• Fourth finger on the fourth fret of the G string.
• Second finger on the third fret of the B string.
• Strum from the A string down. The low E string is left out.

That shape is movable: slide the whole thing up a fret and you have C minor, up two more and you have D minor. Learning it properly pays for itself many times over, which is the main argument for persevering.

Why it is hard, and what actually helps

Beginners usually respond to a buzzing barre by squeezing harder. That rarely works and makes the hand ache. More productive adjustments:

• Place the barre as close to the fret wire as you can without sitting on top of it. Pressure needed drops sharply.
• Roll the index finger slightly towards the side facing the nut so you are pressing with the bony edge rather than the soft pad, which has creases the strings sink into.
• Put the thumb behind the neck, roughly opposite the middle finger, rather than hooking it over the top.
• Check that a fresh set of strings and a reasonable action are not the real problem. A guitar with the strings set too high makes barre chords genuinely much harder, and a setup is not an expensive job.

Three easier versions that still sound right

The four-string B minor

Drop the barre entirely and play only the top four strings: fourth fret on the D string, fourth fret on the G string, third fret on the B string and second fret on the high E. Three fingers, no barre, and the notes are all still B, D and F sharp. In a band context nobody will hear the difference.

B minor seventh

Barre the second fret with the index finger across the A, D, G and B strings, add the third finger at the fourth fret of the D string, and strum from the A string. This is a much shorter barre and a comfortable chord, and the added seventh sits happily in almost every song that calls for B minor.

The capo route

Put a capo at the second fret and play an A minor shape. What comes out is B minor. This changes the voicing of every other chord in the song too, so it suits a solo performance better than playing alongside a recording, but for a singer working out a song at home it is entirely legitimate.

Where you will meet it

B minor is the relative minor of D major and turns up constantly in the keys of D, G and A. Those are three of the most common keys on the guitar, which is exactly why the chord is unavoidable and why the effort is worth making.

Building up to the full barre

Do not practise barre chords by playing songs badly for an hour. Spend two or three minutes at the start of each session forming the shape, playing each string individually to find the dead ones, adjusting, and releasing the hand completely between attempts. Strength is not really the issue; positioning is, and positioning improves with short, attentive repetition rather than long, tiring sessions. Most players find it clicks within a few weeks.