Chords in the Key of G Major

The G major scale has 7 notes, which means that there are 7 chords in the key of G. Each chord roots on a note of the scale.

THE CHORDS IN G MAJOR ARE

Degree	I	ii	iii	IV	V	vi	vii
Chord	G major	A minor	B minor	C major	D major	E minor	F# dim
Chart

TIP: The chords of any major key will always have the following major-minor pattern:
I = major,  ii = minor, iii = minor, IV = major, V = major, vi = minor, vii = diminished

Popular chord progressions in the key of G

The key of G is a very popular key, since it only has one accidental, the F#. For this reason, you'll use it very often for everything from blues to pop. Here are some popular chord progressions in G which you can start playing right away.

Why are these the chords in the key of G major? (the theory)

The chords in G will root on the notes along the G major scale, since all chords in a major key are formed by notes from their respective diatonic scale. (Make sure you know the major scale on guitar before continuing.)

The G major scale has 7 notes, each with a corresponding scale degree:

Degree: 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  1(octave)
Note:   G  A  B  C  D  E  F#  G

But how do we know which chord will be major or minor? Starting from a given root note, we need to form its triad in a way which leaves the chord constructed only from notes that can be found on the G major scale.

This means that starting from each root note, we’ll count out the 1^st 3^rd and 5^th degrees along the major scale of that given root note. We than compare these notes with the notes of the G major scale, and if any single note is not in our key, we’ll have to flatten it to make it a note that can be found on the G major scale.

Again, the key of G is nice and easy to work with by the way, since it only has 1 accidental, the F#.

We’ll be using 3 triads:

• Major triad (major chords) with scale degrees 1 3 5
• Minor triad (minor chords) with scale degrees 1 b3 5
• Diminished triads (diminished chords) with scale degrees 1 b3 b5

Now let’s calculate the quality of each chord in the key of G.

1. G major

   Note:  G  A  B  C  D  E  F#  G
   Triad: 1     3     5
   This gives us the notes G, B and D, which is the G major triad, therefore the first chord in the key of G is G major.

2. A minor

   Note:  A  B  C# D  E  F# G#  A
   Triad: 1     3     5
   So our 3^rd note for would be a C#, but we can’t have that, since that note is not in the key of G major (not on the G major scale). We have to lower the 3^rd to the flattened 3^rd.
   Note:  A  B  C  D  E  F# G#  A
   Triad: 1     b3    5
   This gives us the notes A, C and E, which is the A minor triad. All of these notes are on the G major scale as well, therefore the second chord in the key of G is A minor.

3. B minor

   Note:  B  C# D# E  F# G# A# B
   Triad: 1     3     5
   So our 3^rd note would be a D#, but we can’t have that, since that note is not in the key of G. We have to lower the 3^rd to the flattened 3^rd.
   Note:  B  C# D  E  F# G# A# B
   Triad: 1     b3    5
   This gives us the notes B, D and F#, which is the B minor triad, therefore the third chord in the key of G is B minor.

4. C major

   Note:  C  D  E  F  G  A  B  C
   Triad: 1     3     5
   This time we’re in luck, the 1^st, 3^rd and 5^th of the C major scale are in the key of G, so we don’t need to modify any of the notes. We get the notes C, E and G, which is the C major triad, therefore the fourth chord in the key of G is C major.

5. D major

   Note:  D  E  F# G  A  B  C# D
   Triad: 1     3     5
   Again, the 1^st, 3^rd and 5^th of the D major scale are in the key of G, so we don’t need to modify any of the notes. We get the notes D F# and A, which is the D major triad, therefore the fifth chord in the key of G is D major.

6. E minor

   Note:  E  F# G# A  B  C# D# E
   Triad: 1     3     5
   Again, we need to modify our 3^rd note, which would be a G#, since that note is not in the key of G. We have to lower the 3^rd to the flattened 3^rd.
   Note:  E  F# G  A  B C# D# E
   Triad: 1     b3    5
   This gives us the notes E, G and B, which is the E minor triad, therefore the sixth chord in the key of G is E minor.

7. F# diminished

   Note:  F# G# A# B  C# D# E#
   Triad: 1     3     5
   Ohoh, now we need to flatten the 3^rd AND the 5^th, since neither the A# or the C# are on the G major scale.
   Note:  F# G# A  B  C  D# E#
   Triad: 1     b3    b5
   This gives us the notes F#, A and C, which is the F# diminished triad, therefore the seventh chord in the key of G is F# diminished.

And that's about it, you should now know the intricacies of chords in the key of G. Have a look at guitar chords in other keys as well.