Chords in the key of G major

The guitar chords in the key of G major are G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em and F#dim, with the Roman numerals I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi and vii°. Five of them, G, Am, C, D and Em, are open chords. E minor, its relative minor, has the same notes and chords. See the chords of all 24 keys.

  1. I
    1fr213
    G
    3 2 0 0 0 3
  2. ii
    1fr231
    Am
    X 0 2 2 1 0
  3. iii
    1fr342
    Bm
    X 2 4 4 3 2
  4. IV
    1fr321
    C
    X 3 2 0 1 0
  5. V
    1fr132
    D
    X X 0 2 3 2
  6. vi
    1fr12
    Em
    0 2 2 0 0 0
  7. vii°
    1fr23
    F#dim
    2 3 4 2 X X

The seven chords in G major

Bm and F#dim are barre chords at fret 2. Each diagram is the shape most guitarists hold in standard tuning, and on a piano the same notes make the same chords.

NumeralChordNotes
IGG B D
iiAmA C E
iiiBmB D F#
IVCC E G
VDD F# A
viEmE G B
vii°F#dimF# A C

Seventh chords in G major

Stack one more note on each chord, every other note of the scale again, and you have the seventh chords of G major: Gmaj7 on the first note, D7 on the fifth.

NumeralSeventh chordNotes
Imaj7Gmaj7G B D F#
ii7Am7A C E G
iii7Bm7B D F# A
IVmaj7Cmaj7C E G B
V7D7D F# A C
vi7Em7E G B D
viiø7F#m7b5F# A C E

How the chords in G major are found

Write out the G major scale: G A B C D E F#. From each note, take every other note up the scale, three in all: G, B and D make G, the chord on the first note, and F#, A and C make F#dim, the diminished chord on the seventh. Do it on every note in turn and the seven chords follow the pattern of every major key: major, minor, minor, major, major, minor and diminished.

Each letter from A to G stands once in the scale, so the note between F and G is written F# here, not Gb.

The same steps give the chords of every key: chords in a key.

The relative minor of G major

The relative minor of G major is E minor, on its sixth note. It has the same seven notes and chords, counted from Em: Em, F#dim, G, Am, Bm, C and D, so the vi of G major is the i of E minor.

Chord progressions in G major

Seventeen well-known progressions in G major: eleven of them use only the key's own chords, and the other six borrow from outside it, as the 12-Bar Blues does with G7 and C7. Each name leads to its chart and diagrams in G major under chord progressions.

ProgressionNumeralsIn G majorIn the key?
Pop AxisI – V – vi – IVG D Em CStays in the key
Pop Axis from vivi – IV – I – VEm C G DStays in the key
50s ProgressionI – vi – IV – VG Em C DStays in the key
Major to Minor FourI – III – IV – ivG B C CmBorrows B and Cm
Royal RoadIVmaj7 – V7 – iii7 – viCmaj7 D7 Bm7 EmStays in the key
Three-Chord SongI – IV – VG C DStays in the key
I–IV–V–IVI – IV – V – IVG C DStays in the key
12-Bar BluesI7 – IV7 – V7G7 C7 D7Borrows G7 and C7
Quick-Change BluesI7 – IV7 – V7G7 C7 D7Borrows G7 and C7
8-Bar BluesI7 – V7 – IV7G7 D7 C7Borrows G7 and C7
ii–V–Iii7 – V7 – Imaj7Am7 D7 Gmaj7Stays in the key
I–vi–ii–VImaj7 – vi7 – ii7 – V7Gmaj7 Em7 Am7 D7Stays in the key
Circle Turnaroundiii7 – vi7 – ii7 – V7 – Imaj7Bm7 Em7 Am7 D7 Gmaj7Stays in the key
Circle of Fifthsvi7 – ii7 – V7 – Imaj7Em7 Am7 D7 Gmaj7Stays in the key
Pachelbel's CanonI – V – vi – iii – IV – I – IV – VG D Em Bm CStays in the key
Lydian VampI – IIG ABorrows A
Mixolydian VampI – bVII – IVG F CBorrows F

The G major scale on the guitar

Degrees: R 2 3 4 5 6 7. Notes: G A B C D E F#.

You play the G major scale in seven positions across the neck, each within five frets in standard tuning. All of them are under the G major scale, and every other scale under guitar scales.

Keys next door to G major

C major and D major, on the fourth and fifth notes of G major, each differ from it by one note: C major has F where G major has F#, and D major has C# where it has C. E minor, its relative, shares all seven.

A scale's chords in TabTunix as diagrams, and four of them on the timeline, each with its numeral: E7sus4, Gmaj9, Bm11 and Em7

In the app

Play in G major

Loop G – D – Em – C, or any chords of G major, in TabTunix and play over them at your tempo. Keep the loop as an exercise with a target tempo, and come back to it until the changes are clean.

More progressions in every key under chord progressions, every shape of each chord under guitar chords, and how to change chords faster.

Download for free

Questions about the chords in G major

G, C and D: the I, IV and V, on the first, fourth and fifth notes, and the key's three major chords. Played G – C – D – G they make the I – IV – V; as G7, C7 and D7, the 12-bar blues.

Play in G major until its chords are yours. Free, for Mac and Windows.

Download for free

hello@tabtunix.app