B5 Power Chord
2nd Fret · A-String RootThe standard B5: index on the A string at fret 2 (B), then flatten your ring finger across the D and G strings at fret 4 (F#, then B an octave up). Mute the low E and everything above.
B5 Power Chord
Two-Note DyadB and F# only — the bare root and 5th. Two fingers low on the neck, and a clean substitute wherever a B barre chord is asked for.
B5 Power Chord
7th Fret · E-String RootThe same shape on the low E string, rooted on B at fret 7. An octave lower than the A-string form and the heavier of the two.
The barre-free B
B major is the other barre chord that stops beginners cold. B5 covers the same ground in rock playing with two fingers.
Neither major nor minor
B5 leaves out the D# of B major and the D of B minor, so the one shape serves both keys.
Mute the low E
The A-string shape does not use the low E. Let the tip of your index rest against it so a wide strum stays clean.
Two positions, one chord
B is fret 2 on the A string and fret 7 on the low E. The second gives you the same chord an octave down for extra weight.
Slide from A5
A5 at the open A string moves to B5 at fret 2 with the same fingering. Hearing that move teaches the shape faster than memorising fret numbers.
About the B5 Power Chord on Guitar
The B5 power chord is built from two notes: B (the root) and F# (the perfect 5th). It leaves out the 3rd, so it is neither major nor minor and works over B major and B minor alike. B5 solves a real problem for guitarists: B major is a five-string barre chord at fret 2 that takes most players months to make sound clean, while B5 needs two fingers on adjacent strings and no barre at all. In rock, punk, and metal that substitution is not a compromise — the power chord is the idiomatic choice. This page covers three voicings: the A-string root at fret 2, the bare two-note dyad, and a heavier low-E form at fret 7. Every diagram is interactive and playable with acoustic guitar sound.
- 013 B5 power chord shapes from beginner to intermediate
- 02Interactive diagrams — click Play to hear each chord
- 03Acoustic guitar sound via audio engine
- 04A-string root, two-note dyad, and E-string root voicings
- 05A no-barre alternative to the B major barre chord
- 06Free — no sign-up or download needed
ANATOMY
Chord Tones
The 2 notes that form the B Power chord and their role in the major scale.
Every power chord follows this same formula — root and perfect fifth, with no 3rd. Two notes, so it is neither major nor minor.