What notes are in a G major chord?

G major contains three notes: G (the root), B (the major third), and D (the perfect fifth).

How do you play a G major chord on guitar?

The standard open voicing: middle finger on the 3rd fret of the 6th string (G), index finger on the 2nd fret of the 5th string (B), ring finger on the 3rd fret of the 1st string (G). The open 4th and 3rd strings ring out as D and G; the 2nd string can ring open as B or be muted.

What's the difference between G major and G minor?

Only the third changes. G major uses B; G minor uses B♭. The fifth (D) and the root (G) are the same in both.

What scale is the G major chord built from?

G major is the I chord (tonic) of the G major scale, which has one sharp (F♯). It's also the IV chord in D major and the V chord in C major.

G major chord — notes, intervals, and practice

G major is the second most common chord most musicians ever learn, sitting just one step clockwise from C on the circle of fifths. Built by stacking thirds, G major is G, B, and D — three notes that fall under the hand on guitar in one of the easiest open shapes, and three notes that anchor the I chord of countless folk, country, and pop songs.

Intervals

The G major chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:

G→Bmajor 3rd4 semitones
B→Dminor 3rd3 semitones
G→Dperfect 5th7 semitones

On the keyboard

Each note of the G major chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.

On the guitar

One voicing of the G major chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.

Common mistakes

The most-missed accidental in G major isn't in the chord itself — it's in the surrounding key. G major's key signature has F♯; learners drilling the chord sometimes accidentally write F natural elsewhere in a piece. The chord itself contains G, B, and D — all naturals — which makes it look easy, but if you're analysing a piece in G and see the F sit too low, double-check whether it should be F♯ (almost always yes). On guitar, beginners sometimes leave the high E string open in their G voicing — that adds an E (the 6th) on top, which technically makes the chord G6, not G major.

In context

G major is the I chord in G major (with V = D, IV = C), the V chord in C major (where the G → C cadence is the strongest motion in tonal music), the IV chord in D major, and a common bVII in A minor. The progression G–D–Em–C (I–V–vi–IV in G) underlies a frighteningly large slice of pop music.

Drill it

The G major chord is one of 48 in the Chord Trainer. Open the full trainer to practice it alongside related chords with timing and best-time tracking.

Open the Chord Trainer →Or try today's Etudle puzzle

Frequently asked

What notes are in a G major chord?: G major contains three notes: G (the root), B (the major third), and D (the perfect fifth).
How do you play a G major chord on guitar?: The standard open voicing: middle finger on the 3rd fret of the 6th string (G), index finger on the 2nd fret of the 5th string (B), ring finger on the 3rd fret of the 1st string (G). The open 4th and 3rd strings ring out as D and G; the 2nd string can ring open as B or be muted.
What's the difference between G major and G minor?: Only the third changes. G major uses B; G minor uses B♭. The fifth (D) and the root (G) are the same in both.
What scale is the G major chord built from?: G major is the I chord (tonic) of the G major scale, which has one sharp (F♯). It's also the IV chord in D major and the V chord in C major.