G minor chord (Gm)
Gm is G, B♭ and D: 1–♭3–5 built on G. Below: guitar, piano and ukulele, each playable.
On guitar
3-5-5-3-3-3 · barre · medium
- Notes
- G · B♭ · D
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5
- First shape
- 3-5-5-3-3-3
Gm on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · G–B♭–D · right hand 1-3-5
- Notes
- G · B♭ · D
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5
Gm on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
0-2-3-1 · open · easy
- Notes
- G · B♭ · D
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5
- First shape
- 0-2-3-1
Changing out of Gm
The moves below are the ones you'll meet most, shown for guitar and piano.
- Gm → C (V in F major)
Guitar: Gm (3-5-5-3-3-3) to C (x-3-2-0-1-0): move the index finger to the B string, 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the D string, 2nd fret, the ring finger goes to the A string, 3rd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Shared note: G.
Piano: Gm to C: play C in 2nd inversion (G–C–E) and G stays under the same finger, while B♭ moves up to C and D up to E. C - Gm → B♭ (IV in F major)
Guitar: Gm (3-5-5-3-3-3) to B♭ (x-1-3-3-3-1): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, move the middle finger to the D string, 3rd fret, the ring finger goes to the G string, 3rd fret, the pinky finger comes down on the B string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Listen for B♭ and D, which stay put while the rest moves.
Piano: Gm to B♭: play B♭ in 2nd inversion (F–B♭–D) and B♭ and D stay under the same fingers, while G moves down to F. B♭ - Gm → F (I in F major)
Guitar: Gm (3-5-5-3-3-3) to F (1-3-3-2-1-1): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 1st fret, the middle finger goes to the G string, 2nd fret, your ring finger lands on the A string, 3rd fret, the pinky finger comes down on the D string, 3rd fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once.
Piano: Gm to F: play F in root position (F–A–C), while G moves down to F, B♭ down to A and D down to C. F
Guitar with a capo: capo 3, Em shape; capo 5, Dm shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 3, Em shape; capo 5, Dm shape; capo 7, Cm shape.
How Gm is built
Gm is a minor triad. It is darker and softer than G major, but not automatically sad: in a major key it often just adds color.
Start on G, count 3 half steps up to B♭ then 4 half steps up to D.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| G | root | 0 | |
| B♭ | minor third | 3 | |
| D | perfect fifth | 7 |
Keys and progressions with Gm
You'll find Gm as ii in F major, iii in E♭ major and vi in B♭ major. On the minor side it's i in G minor, iv in D minor and v in C minor.
Play i–VI–III–VII in G minor and you get Gm – E♭ – B♭ – F. the minor anthem
Gm – Cm – D – Gm: that's i–iv–V in the key of G minor. the minor cadence
In G minor, i–VII–VI–V is Gm – F – E♭ – D. the Andalusian cadence
i–VII–VI–VII in G minor runs Gm – F – E♭ – F. the epic minor loop
Chords close to Gm
- Gm and G differ by one note: B♭ in Gm, B in G. They share G and D. G
- Gm and B♭ differ by one note: G in Gm, F in B♭. They share B♭ and D. B♭
Chords that share most of their notes with Gm: E♭maj7, Em7♭5, Gm7, Gm6, B♭6, C9.
Every G chord
G minor chord: questions
What notes are in the G minor chord?
G, B♭ and D. Gm is built 1–♭3–5 from G: B♭ is the minor third and D is the perfect fifth.
How do you play Gm on guitar?
The usual shape is 3-5-5-3-3-3 (barre). All 4 guitar shapes.
How do you play Gm on piano?
Play G, B♭ and D with right-hand fingers 1-3-5. G sits between the first two black keys of the three. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play Gm on ukulele?
0-2-3-1 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is Gm in?
You'll find Gm as ii in F major, iii in E♭ major and vi in B♭ major. On the minor side it's i in G minor, iv in D minor and v in C minor.
What's the difference between Gm and G?
Gm and G differ by one note: B♭ in Gm, B in G. They share G and D.
Every diagram on this page is generated from the notes G, B♭ and D and checked automatically so the sound matches the drawing. Updated September 2026.