Quick chord lesson 5

Freshen up your rhythm playing in seconds. This week: B minor

Adrian Clark, Sat 12 Jun 2010, 4:26 pm BST

Here are three handy alternatives to B minor that you'll be able to move around and use as substitutes for any minor chord.

Why use four fingers when you can get away with two? Built almost entirely from stacked 4th intervals, this Bm11 is great for mid-sixties jazz sounds (it's especially reminiscent of Herbie Hancock).

Another Bm11, but with a totally different sound, more suited to rock. Shift this down to A, and you've got the opening chord from both Richie Kotzen's Electric Toy and Guthrie Govan's Fives.

Here's another comfortable little shape to add to your collection of crisp funk chords. The lack of a 3rd means it could also be used as a substitute for B major chords as well.