The G Minor scale is a 7 note scale that uses the following notes:
G, A, Bb, C, D, Eb, F and G
The scale is usually written as starting and ending on G and it can be repeating at higher or lower octaves. G Minor is a diatonic scale, which means that it is in a key, in this case the key of G Minor!
There are three types of minor scale: the natural minor, harmonic minor and melodic minor. In this post we will stick to G Natural Minor Scale, but you learn aboutG Harmonic MinorandG Melodic Minorin our other articles.
How is the G Natural Minor scale created?
All Natural Minor scales follow a specific pattern of tones and semitones (steps and half steps). The tone pattern is:
Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone
If we take the start at a C and follow the pattern we will get the C Natural Minor Scale. To create the G Natural Minor scale, follow the tone/semitone pattern starting on the note G.
Whichever note you start on, you will always achieve the minor scale starting on this note.
G Minor Scale on the Piano
As you can see, if we were to play this scale on the piano diagram we use two black keys for the Bb and Eb.
To play this scale on the piano use the fingers written below.
G Minor Scale on the Guitar
To play the G Natural Minor scale on the guitar use the tab below.
Degrees of the Scale: G Minor
Each note in the G Minor scale has a position that we call the degree of the scale. The first note of the scale is called the ‘tonic’ note.
Key Signature for G Minor
Rather than writing the flat signs on the individual notes, we can now make use of the key signature. G Minor is the relative minor of B flat Major. You can work this out because G is the sixth note of Bb Major.
This means that they both share a key signature and have two flats, Bb and Eb.
Here is the scale written out in full using the key signature.
G Minor Scale in Different Clefs
Treble Clef
Below is the G Natural Minor Scale written out in the treble clef, both ascending and descending.
Bass Clef
Below is the G Natural Minor Scale written out in the bass clef, both ascending and descending.
Alto Clef
Below is the G Natural Minor Scale written out in the alto clef, both ascending and descending.
Tenor Clef
Below is the G Natural Minor Scale written out in the tenor clef, both ascending and descending.
What is the Relative Major of G Minor
As you can see from the circle of fifths diagram G Minor is the relative minor of Bb Major. Or to say it another way: Bb Major is the relative major of G Minor. This means that Bb Major and G Minor share the same key signature and have two flats, B flat and E flat.
Both scales are identical except for the fact that G Minor starts on a ‘G’ and Bb Major starts on a ‘Bb’.
What are the chords in the G Minor scale?
There are chords starting on each note of the G Minor Scale. To learn more, see our dedicated post onG Minor Chords.
What do we mean when we say a piece is ‘in the key of G Minor’?
If we say that a piece of music is in the key of G Minor, this means a few things:
The key signature will have a Bb and Eb as the relative major is Bb major.
The tonic (or root note) of the piece will be G natural. This note will sound the most stable in the whole piece.
The piece will mostly use notes from this scale, these could be in any octave.
The chords used will be those chords that are in G Minor.
What’s next….
Learn more about the different types of minor scales with our complete guide.
Learn about the circle of fifths and how it can help you better understand music theory.
G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B♭, C, D, E♭, and F. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative major is B-flat major and its parallel major is G major.
The chord progression goes Gm – E♭m – Gm – Gm7 – F7 – E♭6. The 7ths and 6th in this progression shares an extra note with the preceding or folowing chord, making the transition a little smoother.
Major means you use an Ionian mode starting on G and minor means you use the Aeolian mode starting on G. So G major is g a b c d e f# and g minor is g a Bb c d Eb f g.
The relative minor of B♭ major is G minor. Both the B♭ major scale and the G minor scale share the same key signature, which has two flats: B♭ and E♭. You can find the relative minor scale by starting on the sixth note of the major scale, which, in this case, is G.
The G minor piano scale starts with G and will use two black keys. Start on G and take a whole step up to A, a half step to Bb, a whole step to C, a whole step to D, a half step to Eb, a whole step to F, and a whole step to G. It's the same notes descending as ascending.
The notes of the G minor chord are similar to the G major, with one notable difference. The G chord is made up of the notes G, B, and D.The Gm chord is comprised of G, Bb, and D. That one, half-tone flat makes a “major” difference for this minor chord, giving it a richer, darker sound.
The natural minor scale lowers the third, sixth, and seventh tones of the major scale by a half step, resulting in a whole step, then a half step, followed by two whole steps, a half step, and two whole steps. Thus, the natural C minor scale is C-D-E♭-F-G-A♭-B♭-C.
This chord progression is commonly used in rock and pop music, and is often called the “sadness” or “tears” progression. It creates a melancholic mood and is commonly used in ballads and slow songs.
Discontent, uneasiness, worry about a failed scheme; bad-tempered gnashing of teeth; in a word: resentment and dislike. Key of the grave. Death, grave, putrefaction, judgment, eternity lie in its radius.
The notes of the G minor scale as we've seen are G, A, B♭, C, D, E♭, and F. For the Bb major scale, it's B♭, C, D, E♭, F, G and A. The difference is the root note of the two scales. The sixth note of a major scale becomes the root note of its relative minor.
G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F♯. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. Audio playback is not supported in your browser.
The relative major key of G minor is B-flat major. Therefore, G minor has two flats (B♭, E♭). TIP: To find the relative major key, count up three half-steps from the minor key's root note.
They are G, A, B flat, C, D, E, G flat and G on the way up. Like all melodic scales the first two notes coming down change. In this case they change from G flat and E to F and E flat.
The G major scale is starts on G and has one sharped note, F sharp. The notes of the G major scale are G, A, B, C, D, E, and F sharp. G major has the fewest sharps of all sharp key signatures, which are for keys that require one or more notes to be sharp.
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