Despacito in B

Despacito in B

The most-viewed YouTube video of all time (8+ billion views). Its four-chord loop over a reggaetón beat became the biggest Latin crossover hit in history after the Justin Bieber remix.

Despacito in B

B major mixes barre and open elements. The B chord itself is a barre at fret 2, but E and A are comfortable open chords forming the IV and V. The open B string rings as the root, allowing creative drone-based arrangements. B is a intermediate-level key on guitar because the open B string rings as the root and the open E strings provide the 4th — useful for sus4 voicings and drone effects. This key mixes open and barre shapes, making it a good intermediate challenge that builds fretboard fluency.

Voice Leading

The bass line moves through B to G (descending major third), G to D (descending perfect fourth), D to A (descending perfect fourth). The root motion by larger intervals (fourths and fifths) gives each chord change a strong, decisive character. When the progression loops, the bass returns from A to B by whole step.

Scales for Improvisation

B major pentatonic works because every note is either a chord tone or a safe passing tone — there are no avoid notes. For soloing, this means you can play freely without clashing. Layer in the full major scale for melodic runs, reserving the pentatonic for riff-based phrases.