G minor guitar chord (Gm)

How to play Gm

Finger numbers run 1 for the index to 4 for the little finger. String names are given as players say them — the low E is the thickest string (the 6th) and the high E is the thinnest (the 1st).

1. 1st finger (index) — lies flat across the 3rd fret, covering all six strings
2. 3rd finger (ring) — 5th fret, A string
3. 4th finger (little) — 5th fret, D string

• Strum all six strings. Nothing is muted in this shape, so the chord should ring from the low E right through to the high E.
• Barre: 3rd fret, strings 6 down to 1. Place the other fingers first and add the barre last.

Notes and intervals in Gm

Gm is built from 3 notes: G, B♭ and D.

• G — the root (R)
• B♭ — the minor 3rd (b3)
• D — the perfect 5th (5)

Across the six strings the shape sounds G · D · G · B♭ · D · G from low to high, so some notes are doubled in different octaves — that is what gives an open guitar chord its width compared with the same chord on a keyboard.

What Gm is used for

G minor is the ii in F and the vi in B♭. The E-minor shape barred at the 3rd fret puts the root on the low E string, which gives it a full, dark bottom end.

Common mistakes with Gm

• A barre that misses the G string. In the minor shape the index finger alone frets four strings, including the G — check it rings.
• Squeezing harder instead of rolling the finger. Pressure from the arm, with the elbow in, does more than a tighter grip.
• Placing the barre last but the other fingers in the wrong strings. Ring and little fingers go on the A and D strings, two frets up.

Chords that go with Gm

Same-root variations first, then the chords of the same key — a fourth and a fifth away, and the relative major — the shapes Gm is most often played alongside.

• G major
• G dominant 7
• C minor
• D major
• D minor
• B♭ major