What notes are in the G Major chord?

The G Major chord contains G, B and D.

How do you play G Major on piano?

Place your fingers on G, B and D and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard every note of G Major is a white key.

How do you play G Major on guitar?

Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 2 and 3. Strings 4, 3 and 2 ring open.

What chords work well with G Major?

G Major pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.

G Major Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes

The G Major chord is built on the root note G. Its notes are G, B and D.

Transpose

Quality

Short answer

Major chords feel bright, stable and resolved. A root, a major third and a perfect fifth give them a happy, confident sound. Most popular music is built on them.

Notes: G · B · D
Formula: 1 · 3 · 5
Semitones: 0 · 4 · 7
Note: G
Quality: Major
Symbol: G

G Major on piano

3 notes

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Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.

To play G Major on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on G, middle finger on B and little finger on D. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard every note of G Major is a white key. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.

G Major on guitar

View:

Guitar chord diagram of the G Major chord

Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.

On guitar, G Major is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 2 and 3. Strings 4, 3 and 2 ring open.

G · B · D

Try G Major on the virtual piano

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G Major chord notes

Degree	Interval	Semitones	Note
1	Root	0	G
3	Major third	4	B
5	Perfect fifth	7	D

How to use the G Major chord

The G Major chord is built from a root, a major third and a perfect fifth. Start at the root G and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: G, B and D. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.

You'll find major chords in almost every style of popular music: rock anthems, country ballads, pop hits and hymns. They commonly appear as the I, IV and V chords in a major key.

In major keys G is the V in C major, the I in G major and the IV in D major; in minor keys it's the VII in A minor, the III in E minor and the VI in B minor.

How G Major differs from similar chords

G and Gm share the root and the fifth, and the only difference is the third: a major third in G, a minor third in Gm. Add a major seventh and it becomes Gmaj7, add a minor seventh and it becomes G7. Of all the chords on this root, the plain major triad is the one that sounds finished.

Songs that use the G Major chord

These well-known tracks all play the G Major chord somewhere - they are not necessarily in that key.

1
Sweet Home Alabama
Lynyrd Skynyrd
2
Wonderwall
Oasis
3
Take Me Home Country Roads
John Denver
4
Knockin on Heavens Door
Bob Dylan
5
Good Riddance
Green Day

Where G Major is used

A major chord is at home as a tonic, and just as useful as the IV or the V of a neighbouring key. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.

As the tonic (I)G major

Home. The loop leaves G Major and keeps coming back to it.

As the IVD major

G Major is the step away from home that makes the return feel like a return.

As the VC major

G Major is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.

Scales that contain G

These scales include G as one of their diatonic chords. Use them to find melodies and improvisation ideas that fit perfectly.

C Major

C · D · E · F · G · A · B

C Harmonic Minor

C · D · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B

C Melodic Minor

C · D · E♭ · F · G · A · B

C Lydian

C · D · E · F♯ · G · A · B

C Harmonic Major

C · D · E · F · G · A♭ · B

C Hungarian Minor

C · D · E♭ · F♯ · G · A♭ · B

C♯ Locrian

C♯ · D · E · F♯ · G · A · B

C♯ Altered

C♯ · D · E · F · G · A · B

D Major

D · E · F♯ · G · A · B · C♯

D Melodic Minor

D · E · F · G · A · B · C♯

D Dorian

D · E · F · G · A · B · C

D Mixolydian

D · E · F♯ · G · A · B · C

Questions people ask

What notes are in the G Major chord?: The G Major chord contains G, B and D.
Is the G Major chord major or minor?: G Major is a major chord. Major chords feel bright, stable and resolved. A root, a major third and a perfect fifth give them a happy, confident sound. Most popular music is built on them.
What key is the G Major chord in?: In major keys G is the V in C major, the I in G major and the IV in D major; in minor keys it's the VII in A minor, the III in E minor and the VI in B minor.
How do you play G Major on piano?: Place your fingers on G, B and D and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard every note of G Major is a white key.
How do you play G Major on guitar?: Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 2 and 3. Strings 4, 3 and 2 ring open.
What chords work well with G Major?: G Major pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.

Related chords, scales and keys

Chords

Scales

Keys