Chords in the Key of G Minor

What are the chords in G minor?

Take the G minor scale — G A Bb C D Eb F — and build a chord on each note by stacking every other scale note on top of it. Those seven chords are the chords in the key:

• Gm — i, minor, built on G
• Adim — ii°, diminished, built on A
• Bb — III, major, built on Bb
• Cm — iv, minor, built on C
• Dm — v, minor, built on D
• Eb — VI, major, built on Eb
• F — VII, major, built on F

The pattern of qualities is the same in every minor key — only the letters change. Learn the numerals and you can find the chords of any key in seconds.

Which chords to play first

Gm, Cm and Dm — the i, iv and v — carry most songs in G minor. Add Eb (the VI) and F (the VII) for the classic minor-key turnaround.

• Bittersweet Loop — 6m–4–1–5 — Gm – Eb – Bb – F. Heard in Zombie, Numb.
• Andalusian Cadence — 6m–5–4–3 — Gm – F – Eb – D. Heard in Hit the Road Jack, Stray Cat Strut.
• Dorian Vamp — 6m–2 — Gm – C. Heard in Oye Como Va, Evil Ways.

The same chords as 7ths

Stack one more third on each and you get the seventh chords of G minor: Gm7, Am7♭5, Bbmaj7, Cm7, Dm7, Ebmaj7, F7. Same roots, same function, a jazz and soul colour. The v as a dominant seventh (Dm7) is the one that pulls hardest back to Gm.

G minor and Bb major share every chord

Bb major uses the same seven notes as G minor, so it has the same seven chords — the relative major. What changes is which chord is home: Gm in G minor, Bb in Bb major. A song can drift between the two without changing a single chord shape.

• The chords of Bb major, with their own numerals
• The G minor scale on the neck

How to practice the chords of G minor

1. Play Gm – Cm – Dm – Gm slowly, one strum per chord, until the changes are clean.
2. Open the chord builder in this key and turn on Smooth Voice Leading — it re-fingers each change so your hand barely moves.
3. Then play the scale over the chords. Every note of G minor fits every chord above, which is why the scale and the key are the same thing seen from two sides.