slash chord · G root
G/B chord
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The G over B chord is built from the notes B, D, G. It turns up 12 times in the 104 songs on this site, including Blackbird and Landslide.
By Chiye · Updated
What is the G/B chord?
The G/B chord (G over B) is a slash chord built from three notes: B, D, G — 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 (x-2-0-0-3-3) with 3 fretted strings while 2 strings ring open and the low E string stays silent. It is rated beginner — most players learn it in their first weeks. The same triad with a different note placed in the bass, so the chord keeps its identity while the lowest voice walks underneath it. Across the 104 song sheets in this site's library, G/B appears 12 times in 4 songs, most often in the keys of G and A, and the chord it most often moves to is C. Below you will find step-by-step fingering, audio of every shape, and the real progressions this chord lives inside.
How do you play the G/B chord on guitar?
Open position — the easiest version of G/B on the guitar.
- Press the A string at fret 2 with your index finger.
- Press the B string at fret 3 with your ring finger.
- Press the high E string at fret 3 with your pinky finger.
- Start your strum on the A string and do not play the low E string at all.
The x mark is part of the shape, not an accident: the chord only sounds right when low E stays silent. Instead of aiming your pick around that string, let the string next to it rest on it and damp it. x-2-0-0-3-3
How do you make G/B sound clean?
Players barre the whole 2nd fret and mute the open strings G/B depends on. You only need the A string at fret 2.
Play C to G/B to Am. The bass descends C, B, A; mute the low E for G/B so the B is truly the lowest note.
In real songs
What songs use the G/B chord?
- chord changes
- 12
- songs
- 4
- common keys
- G · A
Across the 104 chord sheets on this site, G/B appears 12 times in 4 songs — most often in the keys of G and A.
All 4 songs that use G/B— key, capo and a link to every sheet
| Song | Artist | Key | Capo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackbird | The Beatles | G | — |
| Landslide | Fleetwood Mac | Eb | 3 |
| Piano Man | Billy Joel | C | — |
| Somewhere Only We Know | Keane | A | 2 |
Chord flow
What chord comes after G/B?
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:
The theory behind G/B
G/B is spelled B – D – G — the 1 – 3 – 5 of the G scale, which is the root plus 4 semitones, 7 semitones. The same triad with a different note placed in the bass, so the chord keeps its identity while the lowest voice walks underneath it.
The letter after the slash is a bass note, not a new chord. G/B is the same G shape with one low string fretted differently, which is how a bass line walks underneath a chord that is not moving.
What key is the G/B chord in?
G/B is the G major triad with B in the bass, so it stands in for the same three chords: the I in G major, the IV in D major and the V in C major.
the home chord — songs resolve here
the subdominant — the chord that leaves home
the dominant — the chord that pulls back home
G/B on other instruments
B – D – G — all white keys, so you can find the shape by counting up from C.
Take it to the practice room
