Gm Guitar Chord | 7 Best Ways to Play G Minor

Gm Guitar Chord

The G Minor Chord (G, A#, D) is another one of those guitar chords that's "barre heavy," meaning that many of the variations you'll find are barre chords, and those barre chords are the most common voicings you'll use when playing G Minor in different songs. There are also a few non-barre versions you can use to supplement your playing, however, and today we'll be teaching you those g minor chord guitar finger positions to round out your guitar knowledge.

How to Play Gm on Guitar

We've already mentioned that you'll have several barre chord voicings to learn for G Minor, so let's begin there, with the most common version at the 3rd fret:

• Use your 1st finger to bar the strings at the 3rd fret
• Place your 3rd finger on the 5th string/5th fret
• Place your 4th finger on the 4th string/5th fret

You might notice this as the popular "Em-shape" barre chord, adjusted to fit the notes in the G Minor chord.

G minor Chord Guitar (A# Shape)

Knowing that, you might already guess that there's a cool twist you can put on this voicing to change that high "G" in the chord to an "A#" for a slightly different sound:

• Use your 1st finger to bar the strings at the 3rd fret
• Place your 2nd finger on the 5th string/5th fret
• Place your 3rd finger on the 4th string/5th fret
• Place your 4th finger on the 1st string/6th fret

It will require a bit more of a stretch, but this voicing will come in handy when you want to mix things up a bit.

Gm Chord Guitar Easy

If you find these variants giving you too much trouble, however, you can rely on one of these easier versions (also on the 3rd fret) that use fewer strings:

• Use your 1st finger to cover strings 1, 2, and 3 at the 3rd fret
• Place your 3rd finger on the 4th string/5th fret
• Mute strings 5 and 6

Gm Chord Guitar Easy #2

• Use your 1st finger to cover strings 1, 2, and 3 at the 3rd fret
• Place your 3rd finger on the 4th string/5th fret
• Place your 4th finger on the 1st string/6th fret
• Mute strings 5 and 6

Gm Chord Guitar (Am Shape)

Finally, as far as barre chords are concerned, you can also use the "Am-shape" up on the 10th fret for G Minor:

• Use your 1st finger to bar the strings at the 10th fret
• Place your 2nd finger on the 2nd string/11th fret
• Place your 3rd finger on the 4th string/12th fret
• Place your 4th finger on the 3rd string/12th fret
• Mute string 6

Gm Chord Guitar Variations

Gm Chord Guitar Open Variant #1

And if you want to play G Minor without barring the strings, you can start by trying this mighty stretch in open position:

• Place your 1st finger on the 5th string/1st fret
• Place your 2nd finger on the 6th string/3rd fret
• Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd string/3rd fret
• Place your 4th finger on the 1st string/3rd fret

Gm Chord Guitar Open Variant #2

Lastly, you can achieve your G Minor chord (sans barre) if you slide up to the 8th fret and prepare for another big stretch:

• Place your 1st finger on the 4th string/8th fret
• Place your 2nd finger on the 5th string/10th fret
• Place your 3rd finger on the 1st string/10th fret
• Place your 4th finger on the 2nd string/11th fret
• Mute string 6

And with that, you should be ready to start practicing your voicings and adding G Minor to your expanding chord repertoire.

Remember the Key to Success

If you want your G Minor chord to sound crystal clear every time, you'll have to put in the time to get it right. Keep working on your technique, and you'll be grasping this essential tool in short order. As always, good luck, and happy practicing!

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G7 Guitar Chord