B5 Guitar Chord
B Power Chord · B–F#
B5 is the B power chord chord: B–F#. Its sound is raw and powerful — no 3rd means no major or minor quality, just root and fifth driven through an amp.
Because a power chord has no 3rd, B5 is neither major nor minor — it fits over both. Play it with palm muting and distortion and it becomes the engine of punk, hard rock, and metal rhythm playing. The two-finger shape moves anywhere on the neck, so once you know B5, you know all twelve power chords.
The most common way to play B5 is the a-string power chord at the 2nd fret (x 2 4 4 x x, low E string to high E string). Below you'll find 3 ways to play it across the neck, from open position to barre and shell voicings, with the theory behind the chord and the progressions it lives in.
How to Play B5: 3 Voicings
Frets are listed from the low E string to the high E string. x = don't play that string, 0 = open string.
B5 Chord Theory
| Interval | R | 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Note | B | F# |
B5 is built from the B major scale.
B5 Chord FAQ
What notes are in the B5 chord?
B5 contains 2 notes: B (R), F# (5). The interval formula for a power chord chord is R–5.
What is the easiest way to play B5 on guitar?
Use the a-string power chord at the 2nd fret: x 2 4 4 x x (frets listed from the low E string to the high E string, x = don't play that string). B5 has no open-position shape in standard tuning, so this movable form is the standard starting point.
Is B5 a major or minor chord?
Neither — B5 has no 3rd, the note that decides major versus minor. That ambiguity is exactly why it's useful: it fits over both major and minor harmony.
What keys use the B5 chord?
B5 appears diatonically in B major (as I), F# major (as IV), and E major (as V) — plus Ab minor, its relative minor key.
Related Chords
Hear yourself play B5
OpenFret listens to your real guitar through the microphone. Check your chords ring clean in the free Studio, or learn the fretboard by battling monsters in Guitar Quest — free in your browser, no signup needed.