G Minor Rock Backing Track

Build your own band: 16 moods and 20 styles in any key and tempo, with drums, percussion, bass, two chord instruments, a pad and lead fills, each with its own sound and volume.

This is a G minor rock backing track: straight-eighths rock: driving root-note bass and palm-muted power chords with an open hit on the strong beats. It plays the i – ♭VI – ♭III – ♭VII progression in G minor at 100 BPM in 4/4, round and round, so you can practise soloing, rhythm or both.

The player above is set to this track. Press Play, slow it down or speed it up, mute the guitar to play the chords yourself, or mute the bass to play the bass line. You can also switch key or style without leaving the page.

How the band plays it

Straight eighth notes, a big backbeat on 2 and 4, and a bass that locks to the kick drum, playing the root on every eighth.

The chords

i – ♭VI – ♭III – ♭VII is the minor-key progression of countless rock and pop songs, all from the natural minor scale. In G minor that is Gm, E♭, B♭, F.

1Gm
2E♭
3B♭
4F

In numbers: i = Gm · ♭VI = E♭ · ♭III = B♭ · ♭VII = F. The numbers count from the key’s root, so the same progression works in any key.

The shapes the guitar plays

Power chords: the root and fifth, with the octave on top. Palm-mute them for the chug, let them ring on the accents.

Gm3fr123E♭6fr123B♭123F123

Play the rhythm part yourself

Palm-mute the power chords on the eighths and lift your palm for an open, ringing hit on the first beat of each bar. Mute the guitar in the player and the band leaves the part to you.

What to solo with

Rock solos live in the minor pentatonic boxes; bend the second and fourth notes of the box up a whole step and repeat short licks with small changes.

Notes to aim for

Scales get you through the track; landing on the chord tones makes a solo follow the changes. The strongest notes over each chord are its 3rd and 7th:

ChordRoot3rd5th7th
GmGB♭D–
E♭E♭GB♭–
B♭B♭DF–
FFAC–

How to practise with it

  1. Listen to one time round the progression and count the bars.
  2. Play the root note of each chord on the beat, then the whole chord with the band.
  3. Solo with G minor pentatonic, starting and ending phrases on G.
  4. Aim for the 3rd of each chord as it arrives (the table above).
  5. Raise the tempo by 5 BPM when it feels easy, or try the same track in another key.

Common questions

What chords are in this G minor rock backing track?

Gm, E♭, B♭, F, in the order Gm | E♭ | B♭ | F.

What scale do I use over a G minor rock?

G minor pentatonic (G B♭ C D F) is the first choice; G natural minor and G blues also work.

Can I change the tempo or key?

Yes: change the tempo or tap another key in the player and the band follows from the next bar. Every track is made live, so any tempo sounds natural.

Can I download it?

Yes: from the menu, save it as an MP3 or WAV file, as MIDI for your music software, or print the chord chart.

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Minor rock backing tracks in other keys

More backing tracks in G

Practice tools

Backing track player: every style, key and tempo · All free tools