Mastering the B7 guitar chord opens up a host of musical opportunities, deepening and spiceing up chord progressions. However, it takes patience and practice to reach this important milestone in your guitar playing journey.
Focus on practicing these chords consistently and accurately, paying close attention to how your tone sounds while making any necessary changes in finger placement and pressure for a clean sound.
Variation 1: Open Position
B7 chords add tension and resolution to progressions, and are frequently seen in classic rock songs such as Chuck Berry’s iconic “Johnny B. Goode.”
In this lesson we’ll learn to play an open position B7 chord using a barring technique which skips over the 6th string. At the end of this lesson you’ll have an additional variation that allows you to play this chord without changing any shape or fingerings – an invaluable addition to your arsenal!
As you’ll discover in this lesson, playing a B7 chord can initially be challenging due to its use of an open string voicing. With practice however, this voicing becomes simpler and more natural as its open string acts as a bass note which anchors all other strings to the fretboard.
Variation 2: Open Position with a Barre
Bar chords are an effective way to add depth and variety to your guitar playing, yet can be challenging to master due to requiring considerable hand strength and dexterity to perform cleanly.
Before beginning to play this chord, it may help to decide on an order of finger placement for each string before beginning. This will build muscle memory and quickly get your fingers into their proper positions.
Another way to play this chord is to move it up one fret from its open version to create a B dominant 7th barre chord, which requires some finger shuffling but should still not be difficult. Practice this variation with equal emphasis on clarity and speed, being mindful not to mutes any other strings – this will ensure all notes ring clearly for full sound!
Variation 3: Open Position with a Barre
This variation for this chord takes the shape of a barre chord. Barre chords can be an invaluable asset when learning fingerboard fretboard fingering; many open major and minor chord shapes can easily be converted to barre shapes by shifting one index finger at a time – which builds strength in your fingers for later difficult barre chords like Jimmy Page used when performing “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones.
As with open positions, practicing different B7 voicings is important for creating a powerful sound. Listen carefully while you play and make adjustments as necessary; also seek feedback from a guitar teacher or fellow musician in order to enhance your technique and gain confidence playing these chords.
Variation 4: Open Position with a Barre
If you have already mastered the E shape barre chord and are seeking something different to challenge you, try moving it higher up the fretboard. By moving this chord shape one fret up it becomes an F Chord; another move results in G Chord, and so forth.
This chord employs all six strings to add volume and depth to your guitar tone. Use it as an octave between other chords or use it as the primary chord in a progression for maximum effect.
As with any barre chord, it’s essential that you practice fingerings and ensure you use proper technique when playing them – this includes playing with only the tips of your fingers and keeping a flat wrist position – this will prevent non-barre fingers from approaching too steeply to the fretboard, potentially pressing down strings too heavily and interfering with other notes.