G chord on guitar

G is the G major chord, made of the notes G B D. Most guitarists play it as 3 2 0 0 0 3, an open chord. Below are all 6 ways to hold G on the guitar, from the lowest on the neck to the highest, and the same chord in Drop D and DADGAD. The TabTunix app plays each one. Check out our full chord library.

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1fr213
G

3 2 0 0 0 3

Notes

Degrees: R 3 5. Notes: G B D.

Tuning

Inversions

Voicings

How to play G

The shape most players use is 3 2 0 0 0 3, from the lowest string to the highest. Hold it like this:

  1. Put your middle finger on the low E string at fret 3.
  2. Put your index finger on the A string at fret 2.
  3. Put your ring finger on the high E string at fret 3.
  4. Let the D, G and B strings ring open.
1fr213
G
3 2 0 0 0 3

6 ways to play G

Every shape the chord library holds for G in standard tuning, from low on the neck to high. In each one G is the lowest note; they differ in where your hand sits and in which strings ring.

More shapes, for every chord: all guitar chords.

  • 1fr213
    G
    3 2 0 0 0 3
    open shape
  • 3fr342
    G
    3 5 5 4 3 3
    barre at fret 3
  • 5fr1243
    G
    X X 5 7 8 7
    closed shape at fret 5
  • 7fr432
    G
    X 10 9 7 8 7
    barre at fret 7
  • 10fr234
    G
    X 10 12 12 12 10
    barre at fret 10
  • 12fr324
    G
    15 14 12 12 12 15
    barre at fret 12

The notes in G

R35
GBD

A major chord is the root, the major third and the fifth: R 3 5.

Put another of its notes in the bass and G becomes an inversion, written with a slash: G/B and G/D. Below, the first shape of each.

  • 1fr12
    G/B
    X 2 0 0 0 3
  • 1fr1
    G/D
    X X 0 0 0 3

Keys and progressions with G

G is one of the chords of these keys, with its number in each. The chords of a key are the chords built on the notes of its scale.

  • V in C major
  • IV in D major
  • I in G major
  • bIII in E minor
  • bVII in A minor
  • bVI in B minor

It stands in these chord progressions of the app, in the key each opens in:

  • Pop Axis in G major: G, D, Em, C
  • Pop Axis from vi in G major: Em, C, G, D
  • 50s Progression in C major: C, Am, F, G
  • Major to Minor Four in G major: G, B, C, Cm
  • Three-Chord Song in G major: G, C, D
  • Aeolian Vamp in A minor: Am, G, F
  • Aeolian Descent in A minor: Am, F, C, G
  • Pachelbel's Canon in D major: D, A, Bm, F#m, G
  • Andalusian Cadence in A minor: Am, G, F, E
  • Lydian Vamp in G major: G, A
  • Mixolydian Vamp in D major: D, C, G

G in Drop D, Drop C, Drop B and DADGAD

  • In Drop D, G is 5 5 5 4 3 3, where Standard has 3 2 0 0 0 3.
  • In Drop C, G is X 0 2 2 2 0, where Standard has 3 2 0 0 0 3.
  • In Drop B, G is X 1 3 3 3 1, where Standard has 3 2 0 0 0 3.
  • In DADGAD, G is X X 5 4 5 5, where Standard has 3 2 0 0 0 3.

More on each tuning: Drop D, Drop C, Drop B and DADGAD, all under guitar tunings.

  • 3fr2
    G in Drop D
    5 5 5 4 3 3
  • 1fr123
    G in Drop C
    X 0 2 2 2 0
  • 1fr234
    G in Drop B
    X 1 3 3 3 1
  • 4fr2134
    G in DADGAD
    X X 5 4 5 5

Get the change up to tempo

A chord is yours when you can change to it in time. In TabTunix, put G and the chord before it into a chord-change exercise, set a target tempo, and play the change to a click that counts you through it. Rate each take, and the app keeps your best tempo, so you see it climb.

More on how to change chords faster.

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Questions about G

G, B and D. As degrees they are R 3 5: the root, the major third and the fifth.