Chords in the Key of G Minor
The key of G minor contains seven chords: Gm, Adim, Bb, Cm, Dm, Eb and F. Its key signature has two flats, B flat and E flat, and it is one of the most used minor keys in popular music. On guitar it is a mixed key, with two open shapes and three barres.
The seven chords on guitar
Each chord below opens its own page, with more shapes up the neck, audio for every voicing and a printable chart. Tap the play button on any card to hear it.
The seven chords on piano
The same seven chords on a keyboard, in root position. Each one opens its own page, with every inversion and the finger numbers for both hands.
iGmG B♭ D 
the home chord
ii°AdimA C E♭ 
the tense one, used sparingly
IIIBbB♭ D F 
the relative major, the bright lift
ivCmC E♭ G 
the darker step away from home
vDmD F A 
the pull home, usually played major
VIEbE♭ G B♭ 
the warm place to rest
VIIFF A C 
a step below home, the rock cadence
The seventh chords in G minor
Add one more note to each chord and the key gains its seventh chords, which is where most jazz and a good deal of soul begins.
Common progressions in G minor
- i - VI - III - VII
Gm Eb Bb F
The most common minor progression in popular music. In open position it is three barres and an F, so this is the loop that pushes most players to the capo on the third fret, where it becomes Em, C, G and D.
- i - VII - VI
Gm F Eb
Three chords stepping down. This is the sound of most minor key rock, and it works well in G minor because the low Gm at the third fret gives it weight.
- i - iv - v
Gm Cm Dm
The saddest of the four, because all three chords are minor and nothing pulls hard. Play the Dm as D or D7 instead and the ending sounds finished, which is the harmonic minor change at work.
- i - iv - VII - III
Gm Cm F Bb
A circling progression that keeps leaning toward the relative major. Let it run and Bb starts to feel like home, which shows how close G minor and B flat major sit.
Why these seven chords
On a stave, G minor is written with two flats, Bb and Eb, which is how a reader knows the key before playing a note.
The seven chords are built from the G natural minor scale, one chord stacked on each note using only notes from that scale. The order of qualities is the same in every minor key: minor, diminished, major, minor, minor, major, major. As numerals that is i, ii dim, III, iv, v, VI and VII, so Gm is home, Adim is the one almost nobody plays, and Bb, Eb and F are the three major chords that carry most of the weight.
Two chords deserve a closer look. The VII, F, is a major chord a whole step below home, and the drop from Gm to F is the sound of a great deal of rock and folk writing. The v, Dm, is minor in the natural minor scale, but songs constantly raise its third from F to F sharp and play it major instead, as D or more often D7. That raised note is the leading note borrowed from the harmonic minor scale, and it is what makes the return to Gm feel final rather than drifting. D7 is the one chord you will meet again and again in G minor that is not in the list of seven, so expect to see it on charts. G minor also has a long history in classical writing as a key for lament, which is part of why it still sounds serious in songs today.
On guitar
G minor is a mixed key on guitar. Dm is a plain open shape and F has a familiar small fretted version on the first fret, but Gm, Cm and Bb are all barre chords, and Eb is either a barre at the sixth fret or a three string shape higher up. Adim hardly ever appears in songs, so most players in this key never learn it. If your barre chords are solid, the key is fine in open position and the low Gm at the third fret sounds heavy and full.
If they are not solid, use a capo on the third fret and play E minor shapes. Capo 3 turns Em into Gm, G into Bb, Am into Cm, Bm into Dm, C into Eb and D into F, so the whole key becomes the shapes you already know, and the open B7 shape gives you the D7 that pulls home. This is the standard route into G minor and it is what most people do on an acoustic. The trade off is that everything sits higher and thinner, so for a heavy sound play the barres and for a ringing sound use the capo.
On piano
G minor uses two black keys, B flat and E flat. The scale is G, A, B flat, C, D, E flat and F, so the hand sits mostly on white keys with the thumb learning to avoid the two flats. It is a comfortable key to read and a common one for singers, which is part of why so many songs land here.
Most of the chords fall easily. Gm, Dm and F are all white key shapes apart from the B flat inside Gm, and Cm is C, E flat and G. The two that take practice are Bb, which starts on a black key with the other two notes white, and Eb, which starts on a black key and wants the thumb off it in most inversions. Adim is awkward for the same reason as its guitar shape, and it is rare enough that you can leave it. When a song plays the v as D or D7 you add F sharp, a third black key that is not in the key signature. Every triad and seventh here shows all of its inversions with fingering for both hands, which is the quickest way to find a smooth path from Gm to Eb to Bb without moving the hand far.
Questions about the key of G Minor
What are the 7 chords in the key of G minor?
Gm, Adim, Bb, Cm, Dm, Eb and F. Gm, Cm and Dm are minor, Bb, Eb and F are major, and Adim is diminished.
What is the relative major of G minor?
B flat major. It has the same key signature, two flats, and exactly the same seven chords. The only difference is which chord feels like home: Bb in B flat major, Gm in G minor.
Why do songs in G minor use a D or D7 chord?
The fifth chord of the natural minor scale is Dm, but raising its third to F sharp turns it into D or D7 and creates a strong pull back to Gm. That raised note comes from the harmonic minor scale, and D7 is the one common chord in G minor that is not one of the seven.
How many flats does G minor have?
Two, B flat and E flat. The scale is G, A, B flat, C, D, E flat and F. The F sharp you often hear in G minor songs comes from the D or D7 chord, not from the key signature.
What capo do I use to play G minor with easy shapes?
Put the capo on the third fret and play E minor shapes. Em becomes Gm, G becomes Bb, Am becomes Cm, Bm becomes Dm, C becomes Eb, D becomes F, and the open B7 shape gives you D7.
What do the numbers next to each chord mean?
They are each chord's place in the key, written as Roman numerals. In G minor the i is Gm, the iv is Cm and the v is Dm. The numbering holds in every key, so the v of A minor is Em. That is why progressions get written as numerals like i, VI, III, VII: learn one and you have it in all twelve minor keys.
Why are some numerals capitals and some lowercase?
The case tells you the chord quality. Lowercase are minor, which in G minor means Gm, Cm and Dm. Capitals are major: Bb, Eb and F. The small circle on ii° means diminished, and here that is Adim.
What is the relative major of G minor?
Bb major. It is written with two flats, Bb and Eb, the same signature as G minor, and it contains the same seven chords. Only the chord that sounds like home changes, from Gm to Bb.
The relative major
Bb major is written with the same two flats, Bb and Eb and contains the same seven chords as G minor. What changes is which one sounds like home, so the same shapes can be played brighter without learning anything new. Chords in the key of Bb