Major key
G major
Its seven chords: G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em, F♯dim.
- G1
- A2
- B3
- C4
- D5
- E6
- F♯7
- I–V–vi–IV
- G
- D
- Em
- C
- ii7–V7–Imaj7
- Am7
- D7
- Gmaj7
- I–IV–V
- G
- C
- D
- vi–IV–I–V
- Em
- C
- G
- D
- I–vi–IV–V
- G
- Em
- C
- D
- I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V
- G
- D
- Em
- Bm
- C
- G
- C
- D
About G major
G major is built on the notes G – A – B – C – D – E – F♯. It has 1♯ in the signature (F♯), so every note of its scale is either a white key or one of those sharps or flats; nothing else is needed. The first note is the home note: melodies in G major tend to come back to it, and the music feels finished when they do.
The three main chords are G, C and D, the I, IV and V of the key. They contain every note of the scale between them, so a melody in G major can almost always be accompanied by one of the three. The minor chords on degrees ii, iii and vi add softer colours, and the diminished chord on vii (F♯dim) is a short moment of tension.
Its relative key is E minor: the same notes and the same signature, starting from E. Many pieces move between the two, and the chords of one are the chords of the other in a different order. The parallel key, G minor, starts on the same note but has a different signature.
On the circle of fifths, G major sits between C major and D major. Those neighbouring keys differ by only one note, so pieces in G major often visit them: the V chord of the key (D) is the home chord of D major, and the IV chord (C) is the home chord of C major.
On guitar, G major is friendly: 5 of its main chords can be played as open shapes without a barre, so it is a good key for beginners and for singing along.
To get to know the key, play the scale slowly, then the chords in order from I to vii, saying the Roman numerals aloud. Then try the progressions above with the play button and play along at a steady tempo.