Gm Guitar Chord – 3 Great Ways Of Playing G Minor Chord On Guitar

A Gm guitar chord is usually played as a barre chord, and, as is the case with most chords, there are several different ways of playing a G minor chord on guitar. The G minor chord contains three notes: G, B flat and D. In most Gm guitar chord shapes, at least one of these notes is repeated in a different octave.

On this page you’ll find the three most common ways of playing a Gm guitar chord, with diagrams and photos of the chords being played. You’ll also find useful information on the notes in a G minor guitar chord, and two ways of playing a G m guitar chord in open position.


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The symbol for a G minor chord is Gm, so if you see that symbol written on sheet music, any of the Gm chords on this page can be used.

Unfortunately, due to the notes in a G minor chord, there isn't really a satisfactory way of playing a G minor open chord. We have included two Gm open chords at the bottom of the page, but both are quite awkward to play and in most cases you’d be better off playing the G minor chord barre chord at the 3rd fret.

This means that you’ll have to master barre chords if you want to play a G minor guitar chord! You can find out more about barre chords (also known as bar chords) on this page: Guitar Bar Chords.


Gm Guitar Chord at the 3rd Fret

This is probably the most common way of playing a G minor chord on guitar. Like most barre chords, it’s quite tricky at first, but if you persevere it will soon become second nature.

g m guitar chord
G m guitar chord

The above chord is simply the standard open Em chord shape, but played with a barre at the third fret. You can see it being played in the photo below:

gm guitar chord

As you can see, the index finger forms a barre over all six strings, and four of the six notes in the chord are fretted by this one finger.

When learning this chord, you should play each of the notes individually to make sure that all are fretted correctly and able to ring out.


G minor Guitar Chord at the 5th Fret

If you’re playing mid-way up the fretboard then this G minor guitar chord might be a good choice. It’s based on the open position Dm chord shape, but played at the 5th fret.

When you strum this chord avoid playing the bottom 2 strings, as indicated by the two X’s on the diagram:

gm chord chord fret 5


G m Chord at the 10th Fret

The G m chord below might come in handy if you’re playing relatively high up the neck. This chord is based on the open position Am chord shape, but played with a barre at the 10th fret.

g minor chord guitar

You can see the above chord being played in the photo below:

G minor guitar chord


Open G Minor Chords

You could play either of the open G minor chords below, but the first is very awkward and the second has a D note rather than a G in the bass, which makes the sound less powerful. In most cases the G minor bar chord at the 3rd fret would be a better choice than either of these open position chords..

Gm open chord 1
Gm open chord 1

Gm open chord 2
Gm open chord 2. This is the easier of the two open G minor chords to play, but because it has a D, rather than a G note in the bass, sounds slightly weaker than the other chords on this page.


G Minor Chord Guitar Notes

A G minor chord contains three notes: G, B flat and D.

Notes in a G minor triad
Notes in a G minor triad

As with most chords, when played on the guitar at least one of the notes is usually “doubled up” in a different octave.

(A guitar chord containing just the three notes without any doubling up would sound relatively weak.)

For example, the G minor guitar chord at the top of the page contains six notes: G, D, G (an octave higher), B flat, and D (an octave higher), and G (2 octaves higher than the low G). You can see the notes in this chord in the diagram below.

Notes in a g minor guitar chord


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