Major key
B major
Its seven chords: B, C♯m, D♯m, E, F♯, G♯m, A♯dim.
- B1
- C♯2
- D♯3
- E4
- F♯5
- G♯6
- A♯7
- I–V–vi–IV
- B
- F♯
- G♯m
- E
- ii7–V7–Imaj7
- C♯m7
- F♯7
- Bmaj7
- I–IV–V
- B
- E
- F♯
- vi–IV–I–V
- G♯m
- E
- B
- F♯
- I–vi–IV–V
- B
- G♯m
- E
- F♯
- I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V
- B
- F♯
- G♯m
- D♯m
- E
- B
- E
- F♯
About B major
Play B – C♯ – D♯ – E – F♯ – G♯ – A♯ and back to the first note again, and you have the scale of B major. With 5♯ in the signature (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯), it is easy to read once you know the signature. Every chord in the table above is made only from these notes.
In B major the chords B, E and F♯ carry the weight: they are major, they are built on the strongest degrees of the scale, and moving between them sounds like a sentence with a beginning, a middle and an end. The minor chords ii, iii and vi share two notes each with those, which makes them easy substitutes.
Starting the same scale from G♯ gives G sharp minor, the relative key. Borrowing a chord from B minor, the parallel key, is a classic way to add colour: a minor chord in a major key, or a major chord in a minor one, for a moment.
The dominant seventh chord, F♯7, is the strongest way to lead back to B: it contains the leading note A♯, a half step below the home note, and resolving it feels like coming home. Nearby keys on the circle are F sharp major and E major.
If the barre chords of B major are hard for you, use a capo on fret 4: the shapes G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em then sound in the right key.
Practise the key in three steps: the scale up and down, the seven chords in order, then one of the progressions above until the changes feel automatic. Ten minutes is enough.