Gmaj7 banjo chord

How to play Gmaj7 on banjo

The most common way, the first shape above: your index finger on the high D string at the 4th fret. Let the short G, low D, G and B strings ring open.

From the short G string 0 0 0 0 4 (x: not played, 0: open)

What notes are in Gmaj7?

Gmaj7, G major seventh, is G, B, D and F♯: the root (G), the major third (B), the perfect fifth (D) and the major seventh (F♯). Its formula is 1 3 5 7.

Are Gmaj7 and G7 the same?

No. Gmaj7 has the major seventh, F♯, a half step below the root; G7 has the minor seventh, F. Gmaj7 sounds calm and open, the sound of jazz ballads and bossa nova; G7 sounds like it has somewhere to go.

Can I play G instead of Gmaj7?

Yes. Gmaj7 is G with F♯ added, so G does the same job with a plainer sound.

Keys with Gmaj7

Gmaj7 is the IVmaj7 chord in D major, the Imaj7 chord in G major, the IIImaj7 chord in E minor and the VImaj7 chord in B minor.