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G Major Guitar Chord and Family

G Major Guitar Chord is Part 4 in a 14 part series on Beginner Guitar Lessons. We will learn to play a G Major chord and a G minor chord in multiple places on the guitar. We will also learn all of the diatonic chords in the key of G Major.

NOTE: To review the major scale visit C Major Scale.

G MAJOR GUITAR CHORD AND FAMILY

G MAJOR CHORD version 1

Again, a triad is a 3 note chord. You need a root, a 3rd and a 5th.

Below is a G major scale. The notes are: GABCDEF#

Take the 1st note G, the 3rd note B and the 5th note D. This makes a G Major chord. Often the 1st note (also called the root or the tonic) and/or the 5th note is doubled. The 3rd is rarely doubled, but is in this case.

In the G chord below, the notes are as follows:

Top string - G (root)
5th string - B (3rd)
4th string - D (5th)
3rd string - G (root doubled)
2nd string - B (3rd doubled)
1st string - G (root tripled)

G MAJOR GUITAR CHORD

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G MAJOR CHORD version 2

Another way to play the open G chord is as follows. I prefer this version because you don't play the 3rd at all. It is more of a power chord as it only uses roots and 5ths.

Top string - G (root)
5th string - (muted)
4th string - D (5th)
3rd string - G (root doubled)
2nd string - D (5th doubled)
1st string - G (root tripled)

*muted - keeping it from sounding by gently pushing on string

G MAJOR GUITAR CHORD (version 2)

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G MINOR CHORD

A minor triad is still a 3 note chord. You need a root, a minor 3rd and a 5th. G minor is the relative minor (VI chord) in Bb Major.

Below is a G minor scale. The notes are: G,A,Bb,C,D,E,F#

Take the 1st note G, the 3rd note B which is now down a half step (or semi-tone) to Bb and the 5th note D. This makes a G minor chord.

In the G minor bar chord below the notes are as follows:

Here the 1st note (also called the root or the tonic) is tripled and the 5th note is doubled. The 3rd is only played once.

Top string - G (root)
5th string - D (5th)
4th string - G (root doubled)
3rd string - Bb (minor 3rd)
2nd string - D (5th doubled)
1st string - G (root tripled)

G MINOR CHORD

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DIATONIC CHORDS IN G MAJOR

The reason the next key is G is that it is the 2nd chord in the Circle of 5ths and has one sharp, F#.

To review music theory chords in a key visit C Major Chord and Chord Theory and return.

There are 7 chords in a key indicated by roman numerals. In G Major they are as follows:

G Major is the I Major chord
A minor is the II minor chord
B minor is the III minor chord
C Major is the IV Major chord
D Major is the V Major chord
E minor is the VI minor chord
F# diminished is the VII diminished chord

G Major / I Major

A minor / II minor

B minor / III minor

C Major / IV Major

D Major / V Major

E minor / VI minor

F# diminished / VII diminished

Thanks for viewing G Major Guitar Chord and Family. Now let's move to our next chord family in the Circle of 5ths, D. It has 2 sharps, F# and C#.

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Continue to Part 4, D Guitar Chords

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