Need to learn how to play the G minor chord on guitar? Check out the video lesson, chord chart, and photo below to see how to play the Gm chord with ease!
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G Minor Chord Video Lesson
How to play the G Minor guitar chord: Chart, Photo, and Description
Below are a couple of different ways you can play the Gm chord on guitar.
Option 1: The full barre
G minor uses the same barre shape as F minor and F sharp minor, this time at fret 3. If you’ve already learned either one, you just slide it up!
To play the Gm chord, place your left hand fingers on the following strings and frets:
- Index (Finger 1): Barre on all 6 strings at fret 3
- String 6 (G)
- String 3 (Bb)
- String 2 (D)
- String 1 (G)
- Ring (Finger 3): Fret 5, String 5 (D)
- Pinky (Finger 4): Fret 5, String 4 (G)
If the shape looks familiar, that’s because it’s an E minor chord moved up three frets. Fingers 3 and 4 take over the job that fingers 2 and 3 do in open E minor, which leaves finger 1 free to barre.
The frets get narrower as you move up the neck. So the stretch from fret 3 to fret 5 is a little shorter here than it is in F minor.
For the barre itself, focus your effort on strings 6, 3, 2 and 1. Those are the strings nothing else is fretting. Over strings 5 and 4, your index finger can stay fairly relaxed, since fingers 3 and 4 have those covered.
If you’ve been playing songs with D minor, you’ve probably run into G minor already. Three of the songs on my D minor page use both chords. Like any barre chord, it takes some patience before every string sounds clean, and that’s okay! My barre chord guide is a great place to build that up..
Option 2: The partial barre (beginner)
If you’re a beginner, try covering only the top three strings with your barre at first. You’ll find it much easier to get a clean sound.
To play this variation:
Avoid playing string 6
Index (Finger 1): Half barre on three strings at fret 3
String 1 (G)
String 2 (D)
String 3 (Bb)
Ring (Finger 3): Fret 5, String 5 (D)
Pinky (Finger 4): Fret 5, String 4 (G)
What are the notes in a G Minor chord?
The notes of the Gm chord are:
- G (Root)
- Bb (Third)
- D (Fifth)
