The Key of G Minor for Guitar
The key of G minor has the notes G A B♭ C D E♭ F, 2 flats (B♭ E♭), and its relative major is B♭ major.
- Chords
- Gm Adim B♭ Cm Dm E♭ F
- Main three
- Gm Cm Dm
- Key signature of G minor
- 2 flats (B♭ E♭)
Chords in the key
Chords in G minor · moved from G minor · · tap to hear1 home chord of the key
35 on the 3rd and 5th
2 other degrees
Now sounding
Key · Capo
Showing: G minor (page key)No capo: you play G minor shapes as written.
Fretboard · G minor scale
Tap a dot to hear it; it lights amber while it sounds. Brightest dot = 1, the root (G). Lighter grey = 3 and 5. High e on top, frets 0 to 12, no capo. Swipe the board sideways for frets 7 to 12.
Progression · i–VI–III–VII
Stopped. Four beats per chord, strum D D U D.
Chords in G minor, with notes
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i | Gm | G B♭ D |
| ii° | Adim | A C E♭ |
| III | B♭ | B♭ D F |
| iv | Cm | C E♭ G |
| v | Dm | D F A |
| VI | E♭ | E♭ G B♭ |
| VII | F | F A C |
Seventh chords in G minor
Add the next scale note a third above each triad and you get the four-note seventh chords of the key.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i7 | Gm7 | G B♭ D F |
| iiø7 | Am7♭5 | A C E♭ G |
| IIImaj7 | B♭maj7 | B♭ D F A |
| iv7 | Cm7 | C E♭ G B♭ |
| v7 | Dm7 | D F A C |
| VImaj7 | E♭maj7 | E♭ G B♭ D |
| VII7 | F7 | F A C E♭ |
Shapes for the 7th chords of G minor: D7 chord.
Shapes and voicings for every chord: chord directory.
Why G minor has 2 flats (B♭ E♭)
Every minor scale uses the same step pattern: whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole. Start that pattern on G and the notes land on G A B♭ C D E♭ F, so the key needs B♭ and E♭. On one string a whole step is two frets and a half step is one fret, up to the octave at fret 12.
G minor scale in first position
Every note of G minor in frets 0 to 4. Play one finger per fret: fret 1 = finger 1, fret 2 = finger 2, fret 3 = finger 3, fret 4 = finger 4, open strings need no finger. Start on the lowest root, G on the 6th string, fret 3, and play up string by string.
Tap a dot to hear it. High e on top; the brightest dot is the root.
Past fret 4: G minor scale in every position up the neck, with play-along and a root drone. Pentatonic, blues and the modes work over these chords too: see all guitar scales.
Playing in G minor on guitar
G minor has two flats, B♭ and E♭, the same as B♭ major. Three of the six open strings are in the scale: A, D and G. The open B and both E strings are a half step from B♭ and E♭, so they are muted or fretted in most shapes.
Dm is the one open chord in the natural minor row. Gm is the E-shape minor barre at fret 3; the small Gm (x x 5 3 3 3) covers the top four strings. Cm is an A-shape barre at fret 3, B♭ (x 1 3 3 3 1) and F are major barres near the nut, E♭ is a barre or a four-string grip, and Adim is rare in songs.
The V chord changes the picture. In place of Dm, songs in G minor often play open D or D7: its F♯ comes from the harmonic minor scale and sits one fret below G. The open D string is the fifth of the key, so it can drone under Gm and D alike.
Common progressions in G minor
| Degrees | Chords | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| i–VI–III–VII | Gm E♭ B♭ F | Gm E♭ B♭ F: four barre chords, or Em C G D with capo 3. |
| i–iv–v–i | Gm Cm Dm Gm | Gm Cm Dm Gm: Dm is open; change it to D7 (x x 0 2 1 2) for the stronger pull of the harmonic minor. |
| i–VII–VI–VII | Gm F E♭ F | Gm F E♭ F: a falling loop with the bass on G, F and E♭. |
| i–iv–VII–III | Gm Cm F B♭ | Gm Cm F B♭: round the circle of fifths to B♭, the relative major. |
Pick one in the player above and press Play to strum along, four beats per chord.
Capo and G minor
Capo 3 with Em shapes sounds in G minor and makes every chord open: Em, Am, Bm, C, G and D sound as Gm, Cm, Dm, E♭, B♭ and F. Capo 5 with Dm shapes is the other open route, with a lighter, higher sound.
| Capo | Gm shapes sound in |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | G♯ minor |
| Fret 2 | A minor |
| Fret 3 | B♭ minor |
| Fret 4 | B minor |
| Fret 5 | C minor |
| Fret 6 | C♯ minor |
| Fret 7 | D minor |
Song in another key? Capo for G minor songs: the capo fret and easier shapes, or any other key.
New to the capo? How to use a capo: where to clamp it and why the same shapes sound in a new key.
Relative major: B♭ major
B♭ major uses the same seven notes, starting on B♭, the 3rd note of the scale. Its chord is the III in the row above. Songs often move between the two keys without changing a single chord shape.
Have a recording and no idea what key it is in? Find the key of a song from the audio file or by letting it listen; it also gives the chords to play and the easiest capo.
Related keys
- The key of B♭ majorrelative
- The key of G majorparallel
- The key of C minorcircle, one step left
- The key of D minorcircle, one step right
See how every key connects: interactive circle of fifths.
FAQ about G minor
What chords are in the key of G minor?
Gm, Adim, B♭, Cm, Dm, E♭ and F. Dm is open; songs often use D or D7 as the V instead.
How do I play G minor without a barre?
Use the small Gm (x x 5 3 3 3), or capo 3 and play Em, which then sounds as Gm.
How many flats are in G minor?
Two: B♭ and E♭. The scale is G A B♭ C D E♭ F.
What is the relative major of G minor?
B♭ major, with the same two flats. B♭ is the III chord of G minor.
Next steps in G minor
- Progressions in G minorgenerate, hear and loop chord progressions in this key
- G minor pentatonicthe five-note soloing scale
- G harmonic minorraised 7th: where the major V chord comes from
- Guitar tunertune up before you play along