Gmaj7 Chord on Guitar

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Gmaj7 is a major seventh chord made of 4 notes: G, B, D, F♯. It sounds dreamy, warm and a little wistful, and you hear it in ballads, bossa nova, neo-soul and lo-fi. It is the I chord of G major and turns up in 3 other keys.

The library above opens on Gmaj7 with 14 shapes up and down the neck, starting with hand-checked ones. Tap a shape to hear it, or play it one string at a time.

Notes in Gmaj7

NoteDegreeInterval from GSemitones
G1root0
B3major third4
D5perfect fifth7
F♯7major seventh11

Formula: 1 – 3 – 5 – 7. On guitar the 5th is often left out of the bigger shapes without changing the chord.

How to play Gmaj7

321
Open positionBeginner320002
1342
Fret 3Medium3x443x
213
Open positionBeginner32400x
231
Open positionEasy3x0402
1
Open positionBeginnerxxx002
3fr1423
Fret 3Easy3544xx

Open position (root on the 6th string), step by step

  1. 1st finger (index): 1st string, 2nd fret (F♯, the major seventh).
  2. 2nd finger (middle): 5th string, 2nd fret (B, the major third).
  3. 3rd finger (ring): 6th string, 3rd fret (G, the root).
  4. Let the 4th string, 3rd string, 2nd string ring open (D, G, B).
  5. Strum from the 6th string across all six strings.

Tips

The open position shape is the one to learn first. Once it is easy, try the shape at the 5th fret (xx5777): the same chord, higher and brighter, handy when the chords before and after it sit up the neck.

Keys and progressions with Gmaj7

Gmaj7 belongs to 4 keys: IV in D major, I in G major, III in E minor, VI in B minor. In G major, try I–V–vi–IV: Gmaj7 – D – Em – C.

Common questions

What notes are in Gmaj7?

G, B, D, F♯: the root, major third, fifth, major seventh.

What is the easiest way to play Gmaj7?

Open position: 320002 (low string first), rated Beginner.

What is the difference between Gmaj7 and G7?

Gmaj7 has F♯ where G7 has F. Gmaj7 sounds dreamy, warm and a little wistful; G7 sounds restless; it wants to move on, usually to the chord a fifth below.

Is Gmaj7 a hard chord?

No. The easiest shape is rated Beginner and needs 3 fingers.

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