Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitars
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Guitar Amps
  • Drums
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Radiohead theory
  • Steely Dan's drum machine
  • Deep Purple in the dungeon
  • Prince's drummers
  • 95k+ free music samples
Don't miss these
Jason Isbell plays a Martin dreadnought onstage in Norway
Artists Jason Isbell has some advice for any young player who has just bought their first acoustic guitar
The Police
Artists The surprising origins and intricate musical theory behind an iconic Police masterpiece
Overhead shot of electronic drum set plugged into a laptop running a VST
Drum Lessons & Tutorials “At certain points in music history it became fashionable to place accents on certain beats”: How to score a drum part
Jon Batiste
Artists Jon Batiste answers the internet’s piano queries and agrees with one potentially controversial musical statement
Paul McCartney
Artists The lesser-heard theory tricks that lay behind the magic of the Beatles' Yesterday
Grace Jones
Artists Exploring the quirky production and music theory choices of Grace Jones’ classic Slave to the Rhythm
Yungblud
Artists Yungblud reveals his secret to making acoustics sound massive – and hints at future signature model
Side profile of a person playing a drum kit
Drum Lessons & Tutorials 13 easy drum songs every beginner should learn
native instruments
Music Production Tutorials "As nuanced as the real thing, but only if you know what you're doing": The ultimate guide to plugin guitars
David Gilmour plays a Black Stratocaster onstage in New York, on a moody stage lit in dark blue.
Artists David Gilmour shares an essential tone tip for guitarists using a whammy bar with a delay pedal
Jimi and Billy in 1968
Artists “I was playing the Fender Strat that Jimi Hendrix gave me”: Billy Gibbons on the making of ZZ Top's greatest blues song
The newly refreshed Classic Series from Squier reworks vintage Fender-inspired electric and bass guitars for beginners and budget-conscious players.
Guitars Squier channels the Fender archive for 10 stunning yet affordable news Classic Vibe models
My Chemical Romance in 2006
Artists “It took five years to finish the song and define what it was about”: How My Chemical Romance created a classic anthem
MIDI
Digital Audio Workstation How to humanise your virtual acoustic instruments in your DAW projects
Fender Custom Shop Ariel Posen Stratocaster: Posen's new signature model was inspired by the Jazzmaster and has custom-wound AP-90 pickups. Check out those cupcake-style control knobs.
Artists Ariel Posen’s new Custom Shop signature Strat is A) stunning and B) inspired by a… Jazzmaster?
  1. Tutorials
  2. Guitar Lessons & Tutorials
  3. Guitar Chords

Guitar chord vocab: B flat major

Tuition
By Adrian Clark ( Guitarist ) published 25 September 2015

Perk up your Bb shapes with these cunning ideas

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Bb barre

Bb barre

Chords in ‘flat’ keys tend to be limited to the same old movable shapes that you’ve seen before, but you can find some exceptions if you’re crafty.

Here's the standard Bb barre we all know and love.

Page 1 of 4
Page 1 of 4
Bbadd9

Bbadd9

Here’s another chord using the same shape as Bm11 and G6add9 (no 3rd). This one will also work together with the G.

Page 2 of 4
Page 2 of 4
Bbmaj9#11

Bbmaj9#11

This one’s a bit more mysterious-sounding and has a couple of open strings, unusual for a Bb chord. Be careful, however, as the #11 could easily clash with other chords in a song.

Page 3 of 4
Page 3 of 4
Bb6add9

Bb6add9

This chord’s upbeat sound is reminiscent of Gypsy jazz or western swing. It works well as an arpeggio, too.

Page 4 of 4
Page 4 of 4
Adrian Clark
Read more
Jason Isbell plays a Martin dreadnought onstage in Norway
Jason Isbell has some advice for any young player who has just bought their first acoustic guitar
 
 
The Police
The surprising origins and intricate musical theory behind an iconic Police masterpiece
 
 
Overhead shot of electronic drum set plugged into a laptop running a VST
“At certain points in music history it became fashionable to place accents on certain beats”: How to score a drum part
 
 
Jon Batiste
Jon Batiste answers the internet’s piano queries and agrees with one potentially controversial musical statement
 
 
Paul McCartney
The lesser-heard theory tricks that lay behind the magic of the Beatles' Yesterday
 
 
Grace Jones
Exploring the quirky production and music theory choices of Grace Jones’ classic Slave to the Rhythm
 
 
Latest in Guitar Chords
Music Theory
How learning and understanding chord symbols can prove a major benefit for sharing your musical ideas
 
 
Woman playing a guitar chord on an acoustic guitar
Get strumming: The 22 essential beginner, blues and folk guitar chords every guitarist should learn first
 
 
Billie Joe Armstrong
"You can learn hundreds of songs with a few easy chords and some basic rhythm playing chops"
 
 
A man plays acoustic guitar with a capo on the neck
How to use tried and tested chord progressions when crafting your song
 
 
A man plays a chord on an acoustic guitar in a stylish, light home environment. Window behind provides a space for copy
How to understand and use suspended chords
 
 
Julian Lage
“There are so many hurdles guitar players get into that are attributed to knowing 30% of the neck. Just map it out - it takes a week”: Julian Lage unlocks the secret of mastering guitar
 
 
Latest in Tuition
MusicRadar logo
Never miss a MusicRadar thing: Google has made it easier to keep us in your feed
 
 
Frustrated music producer
Why imposing hard limitations could be the secret to finishing more music
 
 
Ableton Live Tutorial
5 creative ways to use distortion in Ableton Live: From punchier drums to dub techno delays
 
 
Logic Drums
How to think like a human drummer when building software beats
 
 
Virtual drums
How to make virtual acoustic drum performances sound like the real thing
 
 
How to program MIDI drums that sound like the real thing
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...