G#m Piano Chord

G sharp minor is the G#m piano chord. It has three notes: G sharp, B and D sharp. The outer two are black keys with a white one in the middle.

1G♯3B5D♯C3C4

G♯ at the bottom, then B and D♯. Right hand 1-3-5, left hand 5-3-1. The black keys are G♯ and D♯.

How to play G#m on piano, step by step

  1. Start on the G♯ below middle C. That is the lowest note of the chord.
  2. Thumb (1): G♯
  3. Middle finger (3): B
  4. Little finger (5): D♯
  5. Press them together with the right hand. The left hand plays the same notes with fingers 5, 3, 1 an octave lower, or just G♯ on its own as a bass note.

This is the same black, white, black shape as F sharp minor and C sharp minor. Three chords, one hand position, three different starting keys.

Inversions of G#m

The same 3 notes with a different one at the bottom. All of them are G#m; which you play depends on what the hand is coming from. Tap any card to hear it.

First inversionB D♯ G♯
G#m piano chord diagram, first inversion, B D♯ G♯
Lighter than root position and less final. A flat third in the bass tips the chord forward, which is why it usually sits between two other chords rather than at the end of a line.
Second inversionD♯ G♯ B
G#m piano chord diagram, second inversion, D♯ G♯ B
Open and slightly unresolved. A fifth in the bass makes the chord sound like a step on the way somewhere, which is mostly how it is used.

If it sounds wrong

The outer keys are hard to find
G sharp is the last black key in the group of three; D sharp is the second in the group of two. Locating the groups is faster than counting from a white key.
The middle note is wrong
It is B, a white key. Playing B sharp, which is the key everyone calls C, would give G sharp major.
The chord feels stretched
The span is only a fifth. If it feels wide, the hand is sitting too far forward and the fingers are reaching back to the black keys.

What makes it a G#m

G♯ · B · D♯ 1 ♭3 5

G sharp minor is the first, flat third and fifth of the G sharp scale: G sharp, B and D sharp.

It is the relative minor of B major, the vi chord of B and the ii of F sharp. Both of those are guitar keys rather than piano ones, so a pianist usually meets this chord accompanying somebody else.

G#m vs Abm

Exactly the same three keys. Sharp keys write G sharp minor and flat keys write A flat minor, and since this chord belongs to sharp keys, G sharp minor is what you will see on a chart.

It is worth knowing both names, because a piece that modulates can switch spelling without changing a note under your hand.

Questions about G#m

Which notes are in a G#m chord on piano?

G sharp, B and D sharp. G sharp and D sharp are black keys; B is white.

What fingers do you use for G#m?

Right hand: thumb on G sharp, middle finger on B, little finger on D sharp. Left hand: little finger on G sharp, middle on B, thumb on D sharp.

Is G#m the same as Abm?

The same keys and the same sound. G sharp minor is by far the more common spelling, because it belongs to the sharp keys B and F sharp.

Is G#m hard on piano?

No. Black, white, black gives the hand a natural resting position, and nothing in the chord stretches.

Where is the G#m chord used?

As the vi chord in B, the ii in F sharp and the iii in E.

Chords to learn next

Other G# chords