The Key Of G Minor For Guitar

The key of G minor contains the notes: G – A – Bb – C – D – Eb – F

Notes In The Key of G Minor (G - A, Bb - C - D - Eb - F - G)

When assembled in order the notes form the G natural minor scale. For a quick breakdown of musical keys on guitar click here.

If you would like to understand the difference between major and minor scales, click here.

Table of Contents

Why does the Key of G minor include flats and not sharps?

The presence of flats or sharps in a key signature (the notation symbol placed at the beginning of a musical piece to indicate which notes should consistently be played as sharps or flats) is determined by the specific major key that serves as the starting point for deriving the relative minor key.

In this case, since the relative major key (Bb major) has flats in its key signature, the relative minor key (G minor) also uses flats.

The G Minor Scale Step Pattern

The G minor scale (like all minor scales) follows the step pattern of:
whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole

The G Minor Scale For Guitar

The G minor scale (like all minor scales) follows the step pattern of:
whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole

Keep in mind, that scales can be played in many different ways.

Chords In The Key Of G Minor

All chords within a minor key such as G minor follow a pattern of:

min	dim	Maj	min	min	Maj	Maj
g	a	Bb	c	d	Eb	F

* capitals denote major chords, lower case denotes minor chords

Chord	Notes
g minor	G, Bb, D
a diminished	A, C, Eb
Bb Major	Bb, D, F
c minor	C, Eb, G
d minor	D, F, A
Eb Major	Eb, G, Bb
F Major	F, A, C

7th Chords in G Minor

Seventh chords include the tonic (1st), third, fifth, and seventh scale degrees of a diatonic scale (a seven-note musical scale consisting of whole and half steps), unlike triads which contain just three notes.

The seventh chord quality (such as major, minor, diminished, or augmented.) can vary depending on the type of seventh interval used in the chord. There are several types of seventh chords, each with its unique sound and function in music.

Chord	Notes
G minor 7	G, Bb, D, F
a diminished	A, C, Eb, G
Bb Major 7	Bb, D, F, A
c minor 7	C, Eb, G, Bb
d minor 7	D, F, A, C
Eb Major 7	Eb, G, Bb, D
F Dominant 7 (F7)	F, A, C, Eb

Chord Function in G Minor

Chords can be categorized into three main functions: tonic, subdominant, and dominant. Tonic chords (i, VI) provide stability. Subdominant chords (iv, ii) introduce some tension but not as much as dominant chords (v, VII) which create the most tension and typically lead to a resolution.

Tonic	Supertonic	Mediant	Subdominant	Dominant	Submediant	Subtonic
i	ii	III	iv	v	VI	VII
gmin	adim	Bbmaj	cmin	dmin	Ebmaj	Fmaj

* capitals denote major chords, lower case denotes minor chords

For example, The i chord (minor tonic) serves as the central point of stability, it’s home base for the key. As it is constructed on the tonic note of the minor scale (e.g., G in the key of G minor) returning to it provides resolution.

Alternatively, In the key of G minor, the dominant chord is d min which creates a strong pull back to the tonic chord, G minor, creating a sense of resolution when the chord progression resolves back to the tonic.

Common Chord Progressions In G Minor

i – VI – VII	gmin – Ebmaj – Fmaj
i – VII – iv- VI	gmin – Fmaj – cmin – Ebmaj
i – v – VI – VII	gmin – dmin – Ebmaj – Fmaj
i – III – VII – VI	gmin – Bbmaj – Fmaj – Ebmaj
i – v – iv – VII	gmin – dmin – cmin – Fmaj

Relative Major

The relative major refers to the major key that shares the same key signature as a minor key. In simple terms, they use the same set of notes, but their tonal centers (the tonic) are different e.g. the relative minor starts on the 6th scale degree of the relative major.

In minor keys, the relative major’s tonic note is the 3rd scale degree of the relative minor scale, meaning in the key of G minor, Bb Major is the relative major.