How to play B7โฏ9/C๐ช chord on guitar
Shape x54445
Shape characteristics
Barre chord
Your first finger flattens across multiple strings at the same fret. Movable up and down the neck to any key without changing the shape.
Mid-neck ยท fret 4-5
Balanced tone, with neither the ringing openness of first position nor the bright snap of the upper register. Common choice for rhythm work when you want a fuller, more compact sound.
Five-string voicing
One string muted. Keeps a full low end without overlapping awkwardly with a bassist or second guitar.
Bass: D ยท Top: A
The lowest note isn't a traditional chord tone for this chord, so the voicing has an added colour or slash-chord flavour.
Compared to Shape x57877 , this voicing uses a partial barre and sits higher on the neck (starting at fret 5).
How to play this shape
- 1 Place the 1st finger on the 4th fret of the 2nd string, 3rd string, and 4th string in barre position
- 2 Place the 2nd finger on the 5th fret of the 5th string
- 3 Place the 3rd finger on the 5th fret of the 1st string
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "x54445" mean?
The sequence x54445 is a highly compact guitar chord notation. It represents the fret played on each of the 6 strings, reading left-to-right from the thickest (lowest pitch) string to the thinnest (highest pitch) string: E, A, D, G, B, e.
- x means the string is muted or skipped entirely.
- 0 means the string is played "open" (without pressing over a fret).
- 1-9 represent standard fret numbers 1 to 9.
- a, b, c... represent frets 10, 11, 12, and higher (where a=10, b=11, c=12).
Can I play this B7โฏ9/C๐ช shape anywhere else?
Yes! This specific layout is just one way to voice a B7โฏ9/C๐ช chord. You can find all other variations in our chord shape library for B7โฏ9/C๐ช. Most guitarists choose different shapes based on whether they want a "brighter" or "deeper" sound, or which chord they are transitioning from.
Why do some strings have an 'x'?
Strings marked with an 'x' should not ring out. These notes are excluded because they don't belong to the B7โฏ9/C๐ช chord or would clash with this specific voicing. You can mute these strings by lightly touching them with a finger that is already pressing a neighboring fret.
Other shapes
Showing 8 of 17 playable shapes