How to Play Guitar in the Key of B

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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The key of B is one of the thinner-sounding keys. Its bright sound makes it one of the favorite keys of most ska bands.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Guitar Amplifiers
Guitar Cables
Guitar Cases
Guitar Picks
Guitar Slide
Guitar Stands
Guitar Straps
Guitars
Metronome
Set Of Guitar Strings

The E, F-Sharp and G-Sharp Minor Chords

Step 1

Place your index finger on the first fret of the G string to begin the E chord.
Step 2

Place your middle finger on the second fret of the A string.
Step 3

Place your ring finger on the second fret of the D string.
Step 4

Strum the strings downward to play the E chord.
Step 5

Lay your index finger across all the strings on the second fret firmly to begin the F-sharp chord.
Step 6

Place your middle finger on the third fret of the G string.
Step 7

Place your pinky on the fourth fret of the D string.
Step 8

Place your ring finger on the fourth fret of the A string.
Step 9

Keep your index finger firmly against the fret board and strum the strings downward to play the F-sharp chord. All notes should sound out equally, and you shouldn't get a buzzing sound.
Step 10

Lay your index finger across all the strings on the fourth fret firmly to begin the G-sharp minor chord.
Step 11

Place your pinky on the sixth fret of the D string.
Step 12

Place your ring finger on the sixth fret of the A string.
Step 13

Strum the strings downward to play the G-sharp minor chord.

The B Chord

Step 1

Review and memorize the names of the strings. Lowest to highest, they are E-A-D-G-B-E.
Step 2

Lay your index finger across the second fret, pressing down firmly on all of the strings.
Step 3

Place your middle finger on the fourth fret of the D string.
Step 4

Place your ring finger on the fourth fret of the G string.
Step 5

Place your pinky on the fourth fret of the B string.
Step 6

Strum the chord downward, lowest strings toward the highest.

The Key of B

Step 1

Freely strum the sequence, B, E, F-sharp. Disregard tempo and meter for now.
Step 2

Strum each chord four times repeating the sequence of B, E, F-sharp.
Step 3

Strum B four times, E two times, and F-sharp two times and repeat.
Step 4

Repeat Step 22 while keeping a steady tempo. Use a metronome if accessible.
Step 5

Strum B four times, E two times, and F-sharp four times.
Step 6

Strum each chord two times.
Step 7

Strum B two times, E two times, G-sharp four times, and F-sharp four times.
Step 8

Experiment with your own variations and progressions.

Comments

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Begin to learn scales. A good one to start out with is the major scale. Learn how to wirte this scale. For example in the key of B, B being your root note for the major scale would be (Fig 1)
Fig 1
B C# D# E F# G# A# B
Fig 2
w w h w w w h

the patterm illustrated in Fig 2 is the pattern you use in steps to construct a major scale