The B Major Scale
The notes of B major are B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A# — formula 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Key signature: five sharps (F#, C#, G#, D#, A#). Its relative minor is G# minor, which uses the same notes from a different home. Below: the full neck, the chords in the key, and the pentatonic that lives inside it.
B major on the fretboard
Practice B major position by position — interactive fretboard →
Chords in the key of B major
Harmonising the scale gives the seven chords songs in B major are built from:
| Degree | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chord | B | C#m | D#m | E | F# | G#m | A#dim |
The workhorses are I, IV and V (B, E, F#) plus the vi (G#m) — the four chords of several thousand songs.
The B major pentatonic shortcut
For soloing in B major, most players reach first for the major pentatonic — the same scale minus the two most clash-prone notes. B major pentatonic: B, C#, D#, F#, G#.
Jam in B major
Scales stick when you use them over music. Open JamLab — its key stepper transposes any major-mode track into B major without changing tempo.