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G Major Piano Chords
The key of G major is built around the G major chord, G, B, and D. Let’s go through that chord and its inversions, then the other chords that belong to the key, and then put the most important ones together in cadences.
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The G major triad and its inversions
The most fundamental chord in any key is its triad, three notes built from the first, third, and fifth degrees of the scale.
In G major, those notes are G, B, and D. The key signature of G major has one sharp: F-sharp. The third, B, is a major third above G, which is what makes this a major chord. Because there are three notes, there are three ways to stack them, which we call inversions.
Let’s start with the G major triad in each of its three positions, so the chord becomes familiar from every side.
The G major chord in root position
In root position, G is on the bottom, with B and D stacked above it in thirds. On the staff this is the most even-looking shape a triad can have: three notes on consecutive lines or consecutive spaces. The fingering is 1-3-5 in the right hand and 5-3-1 in the left. All three notes are white keys, so the hand can sit flat and even across them.
The G major chord in first inversion
In first inversion, the third of the chord, B, becomes the bottom note, and the root, G, moves up to the top: B, D, G. The gap between the top two notes is now a fourth, so the right hand changes to 1-2-5, with the 5th finger reaching up to G. The left hand keeps 5-3-1. All three notes are still white keys, so only the spacing changes: the hand stays level, with G now under the right 5th finger and B under the left.
The G major chord in second inversion
In second inversion, the fifth of the chord, D, is on the bottom, and the third, B, moves to the top: D, G, B. Now the fourth is at the bottom of the chord, so the left hand changes to 5-2-1, while the right hand goes back to 1-3-5. Here too all three notes are white keys. B, the third, is now the top note under the right 5th finger, and the left 5th finger starts on D.
Other chords in the key of G major
Building a triad on every note of the G major scale gives us the other chords of the key. Each chord takes its notes from the scale, so the same shape changes quality as it moves up: in G major, the triads are G major (I), A minor (ii), B minor (iii), C major (IV), D major (V), E minor (vi), and F-sharp diminished (vii°). G major, A minor, C major, and E minor use only white keys; the other three each include F-sharp, so the hand moves in toward the fallboard for them.
Try playing them in a row, keeping the same hand shape, and listen to how the color changes from chord to chord.
G major cadence chord progressions
The primary chords are the I, IV, and V chords, also called the tonic, subdominant, and dominant of the key. In G major, those chords are G major, C major, and D major.
A cadence puts them in order: I–IV–I–V–V7–I, with the D dominant 7th just before the end. The hands move as little as possible between chords, so each one connects to the next by the nearest notes. Played slowly, it shows how the key holds together, and it gets the fingers used to shapes that come up constantly in real music. A few notes connect the whole cadence. G is a common tone of the I and IV chords, and D is shared by I and V, so each change has a common thread running through it. In the D dominant 7th, F-sharp, the leading tone, sits a half step below G and rises to it at the end, while C falls to B. Listening for those two moves is the quickest way to hear the cadence close.
Next, try starting the cadence from each inversion of the G major triad. The chords are the same; only the voicing moves, so each version sits in a different part of the hand and ends on a different note at the top:
How to play and practice chords
When we play and practice chords and chord progressions, it’s important to keep technique in mind. After all, we’re not just trying to push the right buttons or remember the theory, we want to make our chords sound as musical as possible.
Play with a rich, full sound. The deeper into the keys we get, the more our fingers remember the spacing and hand positions of each chord.
Make sure all fingers go down at the same time. This is actually accomplished by using the weight of your arm and back instead of trying to just play many notes together at once with each separate finger.
Instead of stiffly or matter-of-factly lifting our hand to exit a chord, we gently float off of each chord, subtly rolling the wrist and moving our arms out in a push-up motion for a smooth exit sound and transition to the next chord.
Other techniques related to G major piano chords:
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