Major chord · G root
G chord
- G1
- B3
- D5
The G major chord is built from the notes G, B, D. It turns up 418 times in the 80 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 fingers 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. It is one of the most-used chords in this site's library: across the 80 song sheets charted here, G appears 418 times in 59 songs, most often in the keys of G and C, and the chord it most often moves to is C. 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?
Beginners mute the high E with the pad of the ring finger. Anchor the pinky on the high E, 3rd fret, and let the ring finger stretch to it rather than the other way round.
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
- 418
- songs
- 59
- common keys
- G · C
Across the 80 chord sheets on this site, G appears 418 times in 59 songs — most often in the keys of G and C.
GB7CA7
GE7GE7
GDCG
All 59 songs that use G— key, capo and a link to every sheet
Chord flow
What chord comes after G?
The counts come from our own song library — 1560 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 needs 2 separate bars, one of them a partial bar across the inner strings — the hardest part of this shape.
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
