Chords in the Key of G Minor
Every diatonic triad and seventh chord in G minor, with the progressions built from them. Free. No sign-up.
Key facts
Diatonic triads
Seventh chords
Stack one more scale tone on each triad and you get the seventh chords — same key, more color.
Common progressions in G minor
i–VI–III–VII
Gm – Eb – Bb – F
The minor pop loop — same four chords as the major axis, started from the minor side.
i–iv–v
Gm – Cm – Dm
The minor blues shape — all three chords stay minor in the natural scale.
i–VII–VI
Gm – F – Eb
The descending rock lament, one whole step at a time.
i–iv–VII–III
Gm – Cm – F – Bb
A circle-of-fifths descent — each root falls a fifth to the next.
How the key of G minor works
G Minor carries two flats (Bb and Eb). The scale runs G–A–Bb–C–D–Eb–F, and stacking every other note of that scale builds the seven chords above — every chord tone comes from those same seven notes.
Bb Major is the relative major: identical key signature, identical seven chords. Treat Bb — the III chord here — as home base and you are in Bb major without changing a note.
The parallel major, G Major, keeps the same root but raises the third, sixth, and seventh — its signature shifts to one sharp (F#). Moving a section from minor to parallel major is one of the oldest brightness tricks in songwriting.
Playing G minor on guitar
In G minor, Dm is an open chord you can play in first position. Gm, Bb, Cm, Eb and F need a barre shape or a capo. The diminished Adim is usually played as a small three-string shape rather than a full chord.
A capo is the shortcut. With one, the i–VI–III–VII progression (Gm – Eb – Bb – F) sounds in G minor while you finger open shapes:
Capo 3 · play it as E minor
Em – C – G – D
4 of 4 shapes are open chords.
Capo 1 · play it as F# minor
F#m – D – A – E
3 of 4 shapes are open chords.
Capo 8 · play it as B minor
Bm – G – D – A
3 of 4 shapes are open chords.
Where G minor sits on the neck
The root, G, is fret 3 on the low E string and fret 10 on the A string, the two places most minor barre shapes and scale positions in G minor are built from.
Three open strings are in the key: A, D and G. Watch the open low E (fret 1 gives F), the open B (fret 1 gives C) and the open high E (fret 1 gives F).
The open D (the fifth) and G (the root) strings make a drone you can let ring under riffs and melodies in this key.
One note separates G minor from each neighbour on the circle of fifths. Raise Eb to E and you are in D minor; lower A to Ab and you are in C minor. Those are the two keys a song in G minor most often modulates to.
Keep practicing
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