B♭5 chord
Root and fifth only. With no third it is neither major nor minor, which is exactly why it survives heavy distortion.
B♭ power chord · 2 voicings
Notes in B♭5
How to Play B♭5
Power chord, root on 6th string
6 8 8 x x x
Power chord, root on 5th string
x 1 3 3 x x
Numbers under each diagram are frets, string 6 (thickest) to string 1. x means don't play that string; 0 means play it open.
Playing tips for B♭5
B♭5has no standard open-position shape, so every voicing here is movable — the same finger pattern works at any fret, and sliding it changes the chord's root. Barre with the flat edge of your index finger, slightly rolled toward the headstock, rather than the soft centre of the pad.
If a string buzzes or sounds dead, the usual causes are a fingertip leaning against it, not quite enough pressure, or a finger too far behind the fret. Play each string one at a time to find which one is failing before adjusting the whole shape — and make sure your guitar is in tune first, since an out-of-tune string will make a correct shape sound wrong. Use our free online tuner to check.
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