Triads
G major chord
Bright, stable and resolved — the foundation of most songs.
G is the I chord in G major, IV in D major and V in C major. In minor keys: III in E minor, V in C minor, VI in B minor and VII in A minor.
- Notes
- GBD
- Formula
- 135
- Built from
- root · major 3rd · perfect 5th
How to play G
About the G major chord
G major is one of the most-played chords in popular music, especially in folk, country and rock played on guitar. It’s the V chord in C and the home chord of G major, a key that sits naturally on guitar, mandolin and fiddle.
Playing it
On guitar, G has an open-position shape, 320003, using three fingers alongside the open strings.
On piano, G sits entirely on white keys.
On ukulele the usual G shape is 0232, using three fingers.
Related chords
G shares two of its three notes with Em (G and B), its relative minor, and with Bm (B and D). That overlap is why these chords sound so natural next to each other — and why they can often stand in for one another.
Move a single note and G becomes a different chord: lower B to B♭ for Gm, add F for G7, add F♯ for Gmaj7 and raise B to C for Gsus4.
