Guitar scale · Ionian mode
G Major Scale
Bright, balanced major scale forming the foundation of Western music and pop/rock.
Tap any note to hear it.
G Major Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-----------------------------3-5-7-| B|-------------------------5-7-------| G|-------------------4-5-7-----------| D|-------------4-5-7-----------------| A|-------3-5-7-----------------------| E|-3-5-7-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------5-7-8-| B|-------------------------7-8-------| G|-------------------5-7-9-----------| D|-------------5-7-9-----------------| A|-------5-7-9-----------------------| E|-5-7-8-----------------------------|
e|----------------------------------7-8-10-| B|-----------------------------8-10--------| G|----------------------7-9-11-------------| D|---------------7-9-10--------------------| A|--------7-9-10---------------------------| E|-7-8-10----------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------10-12-14-| B|-------------------------------------12-13----------| G|----------------------------11-12-14----------------| D|-------------------10-12-14-------------------------| A|----------10-12-14----------------------------------| E|-10-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-15-| B|-------------------------------------13-15----------| G|----------------------------12-14-16----------------| D|-------------------12-14-16-------------------------| A|----------12-14-15----------------------------------| E|-12-14-15-------------------------------------------|
How to play G Major on guitar
Find the root first: G is at fret 3 on the low E string and fret 10 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every G on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, 5, 7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 3–7. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
G major shares all its notes with E minor, its relative minor. See the E Minor Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | G |
| 2 | A |
| 3 | B |
| 4 | C |
| 5 | D |
| 6 | E |
| 7 | F# |
Chords in G Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in G Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | G | Gmaj7 | Tonic |
| ii | Am | Am7 | Supertonic |
| iii | Bm | Bm7 | Mediant |
| IV | C | Cmaj7 | Subdominant |
| V | D | D7 | Dominant |
| vi | Em | Em7 | Submediant |
| vii° | F#dim | F#m7b5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise G Major anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
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One purchase
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Questions
- What notes are in the G Major Scale?
- The G Major Scale has 7 notes: G, A, B, C, D, E, F#.
- What chords are in the G Major Scale?
- The chords of G Major are G (I), Am (ii), Bm (iii), C (IV), D (V), Em (vi), F#dim (vii°).
- What is the formula of the major scale?
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, which is the step pattern W W H W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play G Major on the guitar?
- The root G is at fret 3 on the low E string and fret 10 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 3–7, and four more positions connect it up the neck.