Understand and Play the G Minor Chord For Guitar

G m position 1 guitar chord diagram

The Gm chord, or G minor, is spelled G, Bb and D. This page shows three voicings, two of them barre shapes, and the lowest begins at the 3rd fret, so every shape sits well up the neck.

In the key of Bb major it is the vi chord, in F major the ii chord and in Eb major the iii chord. Moving to and from shapes this high up is easier with smoother chord changes. The G minor pentatonic scale contains every chord tone.

Before moving on, play Gm in front of your microphone and let the player at the top report the strings that ring.

G minor guitar chord is also written as Gm, Gmin, G- or Gmi.

Notes of the G m chord:

G Bb D

Chord Formula:

Formula: 1 b3 5

G M Chord Interactive Fretboard

Want a structured chord roadmap instead of jumping between pages?
Go to the full guitar chords tutorial.

G M Guitar Chord Diagrams

Position 1 Barre Movable

G m position 1 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 3 of the low E, G, B and high E strings at the same time
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the A string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the D string

Position 2 Movable

G m position 2 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the A string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 5 of the D string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 6 of the high E string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 7 of the G string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 8 of the B string

Position 3 Barre Movable

G m position 3 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 10 of the A and high E strings at the same time
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 11 of the B string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 12 of the D string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 12 of the G string

download this tutorial in pdf Find more shapes in our all guitar chords online library. If you prefer a printable pdf, download the Free Guitar Chords Chart Pdf

Play This Chord With Other Roots

C m | D m | E m | F m | G m | A m | B m | C#m | D#m | F#m | G#m | A#m | Abm | Bbm | Dbm | Ebm | Gbm

G Minor Chord | Common Shapes And Keys

In the following, we're going to see some G minor chord fingering options.

Before beginning, one warning:

Often, the stripped-down version of a chord does not sound as good as the original.

It is theoretically correct, and easier to play, but lacks sound richness.

Feel free to use it while learning, but your final target should be the standard shape, unless your musical taste suggests otherwise!

The G minor scale

We're not going to give a full lesson on harmony here, you only should know that a minor chord is constructed starting from its relative minor scale, taking the first (root), the 3rd and the 5th notes.

If you want to learn more about this, have a look at our chords formula tutorial.

Here's the G minor scales and its degrees:

G (1) A (2) Bb (3) C (4) D (5) Eb (6) F (7) G (8)

If we take the root, the 3rd and the 5th degrees of this scales, we have the tones that compose a Gm chord

G (1) Bb (3) D (5)

How we can apply what we learned so far to the guitar?

Well, if we have a look at the fretboard and where the three notes above are placed, we can start reasoning about our fingerings.

The G minor tones on the guitar fretboard

In the fretboard diagram below are shown the notes composing the G minor chord. Don't you know the notes of the fretboard?

Then you might find useful our guitar fretboard notes tutorial.

Gm guitar chord notes on the fretboard

Did you spot already a easy Gm fingering? No?

Don't worry, now we're going to see how to pick some of the notes shown above for creating our cool chord shapes.

On the guitar, once we know what notes compose a chord, we can take any of these notes on any string for creating our chord shapes.

There are some rules, that are not strict but just guidelines:

  • We can include a note in the chord one on more time, on any string and fret
  • The root of the chord, G should be always included. We can include it twice (on different strings) to give it more power.

    (Note: If you play with a band, this rule often does not apply, because for example is the bass player that plays the root).

  • The 3rd of the chord, Bb should be always present (because it's the tone that makes that gives a major or minor feel to the chord)
  • The fifth, D is the less important degree, but in this case, we'd like to include it as well.
  • Some fingerings sound very good, others not so good, it's a matter of personal taste, experience and feeling.

Super easy G minor chord with just 2 fingers

The easiest fingering for the G minor chord is shown in the following picture:

  • Place your ring finger on the 3rd fret of the E low string
  • Place your index finger on the 1st fret of the A string
  • Play the D string open (without pressing any fret)
  • Play the G string open (without pressing any fret)
  • Do not play the B open string
  • Do not play the E high string

Gm guitar chord easy fingering

Classic G minor chord with root on the 6th string

The following fingering is the most used for the Gm chord.

It's a bit challenging because it requires a full barrè all over the six strings, but it's a great shape to practice for gaining strength.

Gm guitar chord 6-strings barre

G minor chord with root on the 5th string

This fingering has a five strings barrè, and its taken in the higher fretboard position.

Be careful to mute the E lowest string, as E does not belong to the Gm chord.

This position is used a lot in funk and reggae music.

Gm guitar chord root on 5th string

Keys with the G minor chord

Here below you find the most common keys (major and minor) that have a G minor chord on one of their degrees.

Major keys containing a Gm chord

F major key

Key I ii iii IV V vi vii
F F Gm Am Bb C Dm Em/b5

Eb major key

Key I ii iii IV V vi vii
Eb Eb Fm Gm Ab Bb Cm Dm/b5

Bb major key

Key I ii iii IV V vi vii
Bb Bb Cm Dm Eb F Gm Am/b5

Minor keys containing a Gm chord

G minor key

Key i ii III iv v VI VII
G Gm Am/b5 Bb Cm Dm Eb F

D minor key

Key i ii III iv v VI VII
D Dm Em/b5 F Gm Am Bb C

C minor key

Key i ii III iv v VI VII
C Cm Dm/b5 Eb Fm Gm Ab Bb

Giancarlo Facoetti, founder of FaChords Guitar

Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher

FAQ

What notes are in Gm?

G, Bb and D. The Bb is the minor third, three semitones from G, and D is the perfect fifth.

Where does G minor appear as a diatonic chord?

Gm is the vi chord in Bb major, the ii chord in F major and the iii chord in Eb major. It is the i chord in G minor.

How many voicings of Gm can you play on guitar?

Three voicings, two of them using a barre and none using open strings. They run from fret 3 to fret 12.

What changes between G major and Gm?

G major is G, B and D. Gm lowers B to Bb by one semitone, which turns the major third into a minor third.

Which scale goes with Gm?

The G minor scale: G, A, Bb, C, D, Eb and F. It includes G, Bb and D, the three chord tones.