Major chord · G root
G chord
- G1
- B3
- D5
The G major chord is built from the notes G, B, D. It turns up 509 times in the 104 songs on this site, including (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay and A Thousand Years.
By Chiye · Updated
What is the G chord?
The G chord (G major) is a major chord built from three notes: G, B, D — the 1–3–5 of the G scale, 4 semitones and 7 semitones above the root. On guitar it is most often played in open position (3-2-0-0-0-3) with 3 fretted strings while 3 strings ring open. It is rated beginner — most players learn it in their first weeks. The bright, home-base sound that most songs resolve to. Across the 104 song sheets in this site's library, G appears 509 times in 77 songs, most often in the keys of G and C, and the chord it most often moves to is D. Below you will find step-by-step fingering, 4 positions up the neck, audio of every shape, and the real progressions this chord lives inside.
How do you play the G chord on guitar?
Open position — the easiest version of G on the guitar.
- Press the low E string at fret 3 with your middle finger.
- Press the A string at fret 2 with your index finger.
- Press the high E string at fret 3 with your ring finger.
- Strum all six strings and let every one ring.
If it buzzes, the usual cause is a fingertip sitting in the middle of the fret space instead of just behind the wire. Move the whole hand a few millimetres toward the bridge and the buzz usually disappears without any extra pressure. 3-2-0-0-0-3
The one-finger G — easiest version for day one
Put your ring finger on fret 3 of the high E string and strum only the thinnest three strings. The open G and B strings carry the rest — one finger, and it still resolves like a G.
frets x-x-x-0-0-3
How do you make G sound clean?
The open G diagram uses fingers 2 and 1 on the low strings and finger 3 on the high E at fret 3. Keep that fingertip upright so the open B string beside it rings.
Loop G → C → D — the I–IV–V of G major and the skeleton of a thousand songs.
In real songs
What songs use the G chord?
- chord changes
- 509
- songs
- 77
- common keys
- G · C
Across the 104 chord sheets on this site, G appears 509 times in 77 songs — most often in the keys of G and C.
GB7CA7
GE7GE7
GDCG
All 77 songs that use G— key, capo and a link to every sheet
| Song | Artist | Key | Capo |
|---|---|---|---|
| (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay | Otis Redding | G | — |
| A Thousand Years | Christina Perri | Bb | 3 |
| Ain't No Sunshine | Bill Withers | Am | — |
| All of Me (John Legend) | John Legend | Ab | 1 |
| Amazing Grace | Traditional | G | — |
| Auld Lang Syne | Traditional | G | — |
| Blackbird | The Beatles | G | — |
| Brown Eyed Girl | Van Morrison | G | — |
| Can't Help Falling in Love | Elvis Presley | C | — |
| Country Roads | John Denver | G | — |
| Creep | Radiohead | G | — |
| Fast Car | Tracy Chapman | D | 2 |
| Father and Son | Cat Stevens | G | — |
| Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) | Green Day | Ab | 1 |
| Hallelujah | Jeff Buckley | C | — |
| Happy Birthday | Traditional | G | — |
| Have You Ever Seen the Rain | Creedence Clearwater Revival | C | — |
| Here Comes the Sun | The Beatles | A | 7 |
| Hey There Delilah | Plain White T's | D | — |
| Ho Hey | The Lumineers | C | — |
| Hotel California | Eagles | Bm | — |
| I Walk the Line | Johnny Cash | F | 1 |
| I'm Yours | Jason Mraz | B | 4 |
| Imagine | John Lennon | C | — |
| Iris | Goo Goo Dolls | D | — |
| Knockin' on Heaven's Door | Bob Dylan | G | — |
| Landslide | Fleetwood Mac | Eb | 3 |
| Lean on Me | Bill Withers | C | — |
| Leaving on a Jet Plane | John Denver | G | — |
| Let Her Go | Passenger | G | 7 |
| Let It Be | The Beatles | C | — |
| Linger | The Cranberries | D | — |
| Love Story | Taylor Swift | D | 2 |
| Lyin' Eyes | Eagles | G | — |
| Margaritaville | Jimmy Buffett | D | — |
| Me and Bobby McGee | Janis Joplin | Bb | 3 |
| Night Changes | One Direction | Ab | 1 |
| Nothing Else Matters | Metallica | Em | — |
| Oh! Susanna | Traditional | G | — |
| Payphone | Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa | B | 4 |
| Peaceful Easy Feeling | Eagles | E | 2 |
| Perfect | Ed Sheeran | Ab | 1 |
| Photograph | Ed Sheeran | E | 2 |
| Piano Man | Billy Joel | C | — |
| Proud Mary | Creedence Clearwater Revival | D | — |
| Redemption Song | Bob Marley | G | — |
| Riptide | Vance Joy | Bbm | 1 |
| Sailor Song | Gigi Perez | B | 4 |
| Shallow | Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper | Em | — |
| Sloop John B | The Beach Boys | Ab | 1 |
| Something | The Beatles | C | — |
| Somewhere Only We Know | Keane | A | 2 |
| Stand By Me | Ben E. King | A | 2 |
| Sweater Weather | The Neighbourhood | Gm | 3 |
| Sweet Home Alabama | Lynyrd Skynyrd | G | — |
| Swing Low, Sweet Chariot | Traditional | G | — |
| Take It Easy | Eagles | G | — |
| Teach Your Children | Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young | D | — |
| Teardrops on My Guitar | Taylor Swift | Bb | 3 |
| The Boxer | Simon & Garfunkel | C | — |
| The Gambler | Kenny Rogers | Eb | 1 |
| The Scientist | Coldplay | F | 5 |
| The Times They Are A-Changin' | Bob Dylan | G | — |
| The Weight | The Band | A | 2 |
| Thinking Out Loud | Ed Sheeran | D | — |
| Treat You Better | Shawn Mendes | Bbm | 1 |
| Unchained Melody | The Righteous Brothers | C | — |
| Wagon Wheel | Old Crow Medicine Show | A | 2 |
| Wake Me Up When September Ends | Green Day | G | — |
| When the Saints Go Marching In | Traditional | G | — |
| While My Guitar Gently Weeps | The Beatles | Am | — |
| Wish You Were Here | Pink Floyd | G | — |
| Wonderwall | Oasis | F#m | 2 |
| Yellow | Coldplay | B | 4 |
| You're Beautiful | James Blunt | Eb | 3 |
| Your Song | Elton John | Eb | 1 |
| Zombie | The Cranberries | Em | — |
Chord flow
What chord comes after G?
The counts come from our own song library — 1879 chord changes in total — which makes them a snapshot of real songs instead of a rule of thumb.
Three-chord moves
Three-chord moves are where a chord really shows its character. These are the ones that actually happen in this library, counted from the sheets:
What other ways can you play G up the neck?
3 more positions below. A chord is a set of notes, not a shape — every position below sounds like G, and each one puts your hand somewhere different, which is what makes them useful in different songs.
Position 2 · Fret 3 barre
Because nothing rings open, you can move this whole shape to any fret and it keeps the same quality — only the letter name changes.
A single bar covers the rest of the strings here. If the inside strings stay dead, move the bar a millimetre closer to the fret wire before you try pressing harder.
Position 3 · Fret 5
Because nothing rings open, you can move this whole shape to any fret and it keeps the same quality — only the letter name changes.
At fret 5 the neck is still wide enough to keep your thumb behind it, which gives the fingers more reach than a thumb-over grip.
Position 4 · Fret 10 barre
Because nothing rings open, you can move this whole shape to any fret and it keeps the same quality — only the letter name changes.
It uses 2 separate barres. Fret each one across its marked strings, then add the other fingers without damping the ringing notes.
Watch the G chord
Video: JustinGuitar on YouTube — embedded with the official player; credit and views belong to the creator.
The theory behind G
G is spelled G – B – D — the 1 – 3 – 5 of the G scale, which is the root plus 4 semitones, 7 semitones. The bright, home-base sound that most songs resolve to.
The third is the note that makes it major, so it decides the character: keep it on top and G sounds bright, drop it below the fifth and the same notes sound rounder. On guitar that is a matter of which string you put it on, which is exactly what the different positions on this page do.
What key is the G chord in?
G is the I chord in the key of G major, the IV chord in D major and the V chord in C major — the three major keys where G appears naturally.
the home chord — songs resolve here
the subdominant — the chord that leaves home
the dominant — the chord that pulls back home
G on other instruments
0 2 3 2
The same chord on four strings in standard tuning. Because the uke is tuned higher, this shape sits at a different place on the neck than its guitar equivalent — useful when arranging for both instruments.
G – B – D — all white keys, so you can find the shape by counting up from C.
Take it to the practice room
