Guitar scale · Ionian mode
B Major Scale
Bright, balanced major scale forming the foundation of Western music and pop/rock.
Tap any note to hear it.
B Major Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|----------------------------------7-9-11-| B|-----------------------------9-11--------| G|----------------------8-9-11-------------| D|---------------8-9-11--------------------| A|--------7-9-11---------------------------| E|-7-9-11----------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------------9-11-12-| B|---------------------------------11-12---------| G|-------------------------9-11-13---------------| D|-----------------9-11-13-----------------------| A|---------9-11-13-------------------------------| E|-9-11-12---------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-14-| B|-------------------------------------12-14----------| G|----------------------------11-13-15----------------| D|-------------------11-13-14-------------------------| A|----------11-13-14----------------------------------| E|-11-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-18-| B|-------------------------------------16-17----------| G|----------------------------15-16-18----------------| D|-------------------14-16-18-------------------------| A|----------14-16-18----------------------------------| E|-14-16-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-18-19-| B|-------------------------------------17-19----------| G|----------------------------16-18-20----------------| D|-------------------16-18-20-------------------------| A|----------16-18-19----------------------------------| E|-16-18-19-------------------------------------------|
How to play B Major on guitar
Find the root first: B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every B on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, 5, 7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 7–11. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
B major shares all its notes with G# minor, its relative minor. On the guitar those are the same frets as Ab minor, the name it is listed under here. See the Ab Minor Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | B |
| 2 | C# |
| 3 | D# |
| 4 | E |
| 5 | F# |
| 6 | G# |
| 7 | A# |
Chords in B Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in B Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | B | Bmaj7 | Tonic |
| ii | C#m | C#m7 | Supertonic |
| iii | D#m | D#m7 | Mediant |
| IV | E | Emaj7 | Subdominant |
| V | F# | F#7 | Dominant |
| vi | G#m | G#m7 | Submediant |
| vii° | A#dim | A#m7b5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise B Major anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
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- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
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- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
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Questions
- What notes are in the B Major Scale?
- The B Major Scale has 7 notes: B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#.
- What chords are in the B Major Scale?
- The chords of B Major are B (I), C#m (ii), D#m (iii), E (IV), F# (V), G#m (vi), A#dim (vii°).
- What is the formula of the major scale?
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, which is the step pattern W W H W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play B Major on the guitar?
- The root B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 7–11, and four more positions connect it up the neck.