G 5-string bass chord

How to play G on 5-string bass

The most common way, the first shape above: your ring finger on the E string at the 3rd fret and your index finger on the A string at the 2nd fret. Let the D and G strings ring open. Don’t play the B string.

From the B string x 3 2 0 0 (x: not played, 0: open)

What notes are in G?

G, G major, is G, B and D: the root (G), the major third (B) and the perfect fifth (D). Its formula is 1 3 5.

What is the difference between G and Gm?

One note. G has the major third, B; Gm lowers it a half step to B♭. That one note turns the bright sound of a major chord into the darker sound of a minor one.

Can I play G5 instead?

G5, the power chord, is G and D with no third, so it is neither major nor minor. It stands in for G in rock, especially with distortion, where a full chord can sound muddy.

Keys with G

G is the V chord in C major, the IV chord in D major, the I chord in G major, the III chord in E minor, the VII chord in A minor and the VI chord in B minor, and the V of C minor, the major fifth chord from its harmonic minor scale.