G major chord on piano

The G chord (G major) is three notes: G, B and D. Start on G, count four half steps up to B, then three more to D.

  • Groot, 1
  • Bmajor 3rd, 3
  • Dperfect 5th, 5
G1B3D5

Fingers are numbered from the thumb, 1, to the little finger, 5. Right hand 1, 3, 5; left hand 5, 3, 1.

How to play G major on piano

  1. Find G, the white key between the first and second of a group of three black keys.
  2. Put your right thumb (finger 1) on G.
  3. Count four half steps up, black and white keys alike, to B. Rest your middle finger (3) there.
  4. Count three more half steps to D for your little finger (5).
  5. Press all three keys together.
  6. For the left hand, play the same keys with fingers 5, 3 and 1, or play G an octave lower with your little finger.

Inversions

  1. G1B3D5

    Root position

    G, B, D

    Right hand 1, 3, 5; left hand 5, 3, 1.

  2. B1D2G5

    1st inversion

    B, D, G

    Right hand 1, 2, 5; left hand 5, 3, 1.

  3. D1G3B5

    2nd inversion

    D, G, B

    Right hand 1, 3, 5; left hand 5, 2, 1.

Practice G major

Hold each position of G major for four beats, then move to the next: root position, 1st inversion, 2nd inversion, and round again. Start at 60 beats a minute and move up toward 100 once every change lands on the beat.

GBD
  1. Root positionG–B–D
  2. 1st inversionB–D–G
  3. 2nd inversionD–G–B

The shape of G major

G major is all white keys, the same pattern as C major and F major.

G major is built from the G major scale: take its 1st, 3rd and 5th notes, skipping every other note.

  1. G1
  2. A2
  3. B3
  4. C4
  5. D5
  6. E6
  7. F♯7

Smooth changes from G major

Jumping from one root position chord to the next moves the whole hand. The right inversion keeps shared notes still and moves the others the shortest way. Below are the chords built on the 4th and 5th notes of G major's own key: C and D.

  • GCE

    From G to C, play C in 2nd inversion (G–C–E): G stays, B moves up a half step to C and D moves up two half steps to E.

  • ADF♯

    From G to D, play D in 1st inversion (F♯–A–D): G moves down a half step to F♯, B moves down two half steps to A and D stays.

G major on the staff and on guitar

On the treble staff, G sits on the second line, B on the middle line and D on the fourth line.
213GBDGBG
Open GFrets, low E to high E: 3 2 0 0 0 3
3fr134211GDGBDG
E shape, 3rd fretFrets, low E to high E: 3 5 5 4 3 3

Keys with G major in them

  • C majorVC, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim
  • D majorIVD, Em, F♯m, G, A, Bm, C♯dim
  • G majorIG, Am, Bm, C, D, Em, F♯dim
  • C minorVFrom C harmonic minor, which raises the scale's 7th note a half step so this chord leads back to C.
  • E minorIIIEm, F♯dim, G, Am, Bm, C, D
  • A minorVIIAm, Bdim, C, Dm, Em, F, G
  • B minorVIBm, C♯dim, D, Em, F♯m, G, A

Progressions that use it

  • I–IV–V, in G major

    1. IG
    2. IVC
    3. VD

  • I–V–vi–IV, in G major

    1. IG
    2. VD
    3. viEm
    4. IVC

  • vi–IV–I–V, in G major

    1. viEm
    2. IVC
    3. IG
    4. VD

  • I–vi–IV–V (the 50s progression), in G major

    1. IG
    2. viEm
    3. IVC
    4. VD

Related chords

Hearing a chord you can't name? Press its keys in the chord identifier.

Save or print the G major chord chart

G major chord on piano keyboard, notes G B D
Download the G major chord chart (PNG). Free to print and share. For every chord on one page, see the piano chord chart.

Practice notes for G major

G major is the third of the all-white-key major chords, with C and F: G, B and D. It sits in the middle of the keyboard for both hands, which makes it one of the most comfortable chords to play.

Where it goes wrong. G is between the first and second black keys in the group of three, and B is easy to confuse with C, just right of it. Check that the middle finger is on B, the white key just right of the group of three, not on C. If the chord sounds unexpectedly sour, that is usually the reason.

How to practice it. Play it with the right hand around middle C, then with the left hand an octave lower, fingers 5, 3 and 1. Then practice the move to C in 2nd inversion (G–C–E): the thumb stays on G, and the other two fingers each move up a little. Going back and forth between G and that C is a good two-chord exercise to repeat daily.

What to listen for. Lower B to B♭ and you have G minor. Lower it back up and G major should sound bright and settled by comparison.

What to learn next. C and D major, the IV and V chords in G, and E minor, its relative minor, which shares two of its three notes.

Questions

What notes are in a G major chord?

G, B and D. G is the root, B is a major 3rd above it and D is a perfect 5th above it.

How is G major different from G minor?

Only the middle note changes. G minor lowers B a half step to B♭; the other two notes stay.

What does the chord symbol G mean?

A letter on its own means a major chord, so G means G major: G, B and D. You may also see it written GM, Gmaj or GΔ.