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G minor major 7th chord on guitar (GmMaj7)
Also called or written GmMaj7, Gminmaj7, Gmmaj7, GmM7, G Minor Sharp 7 or G Minor ♯7
G minor major 7th is built from G, B♭, D, and F♯. The open voicing uses all six strings, giving it a full, slightly dissonant sound.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, 5, 7
- Root positionG–B♭–D–F♯GmMaj73-1-0-0-3-2
- First inversionB♭–D–F♯–GGmMaj7/B♭×-1-0-0-3-2
- Second inversionD–F♯–G–B♭GmMaj7/D×-5-4-3-3-3
- Third inversionF♯–G–B♭–DGmMaj7/F♯2-1-0-0-3-2
How do you play a G minor major 7th chord on guitar?
G minor major 7th is played in open position as 3 1 0 0 3 2: ring finger on the low E string at fret 3, index finger on the A string at fret 1, pinky finger on the B string at fret 3 and middle finger on the high e string at fret 2. The D and G strings ring open.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3 | 3 | G (1) |
| 5 (A) | 1 | 1 | B♭ (♭3) |
| 4 (D) | open | — | D (5) |
| 3 (G) | open | — | G (1) |
| 2 (B) | 3 | 4 | D (5) |
| 1 (e) | 2 | 2 | F♯ (7) |
AdvancedThe open voicing requires precise finger placement to avoid muting the open D and G strings while fretting the adjacent A and high e strings.
3rd fret
G minor major 7th is played at the 3rd fret as 3 5 4 3 3 3: barre your index finger across fret 3, pinky finger on the A string at fret 5 and ring finger on the D string at fret 4.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3 | 1 (barre) | G (1) |
| 5 (A) | 5 | 4 | D (5) |
| 4 (D) | 4 | 3 | F♯ (7) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 3 | 1 (barre) | D (5) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 1 (barre) | G (1) |
5th fret
G minor major 7th is played at the 5th fret as × × 5 7 7 6: index finger on the D string at fret 5, ring finger on the G string at fret 7, pinky finger on the B string at fret 7 and middle finger on the high e string at fret 6. The low E and A strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 5 | 1 | G (1) |
| 3 (G) | 7 | 3 | D (5) |
| 2 (B) | 7 | 4 | F♯ (7) |
| 1 (e) | 6 | 2 | B♭ (♭3) |
10th fret
G minor major 7th is played at the 10th fret as × 10 12 11 11 10: barre your index finger across fret 10, pinky finger on the D string at fret 12, middle finger on the G string at fret 11 and ring finger on the B string at fret 11. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 10 | 1 (barre) | G (1) |
| 4 (D) | 12 | 4 | D (5) |
| 3 (G) | 11 | 2 | F♯ (7) |
| 2 (B) | 11 | 3 | B♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 10 | 1 (barre) | D (5) |
Gminmaj7/B♭ inversion
G minor major 7th is played in open position as × 1 0 0 3 2: index finger on the A string at fret 1, ring finger on the B string at fret 3 and middle finger on the high e string at fret 2. The D and G strings ring open. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 1 | 1 | B♭ (♭3) |
| 4 (D) | open | — | D (5) |
| 3 (G) | open | — | G (1) |
| 2 (B) | 3 | 3 | D (5) |
| 1 (e) | 2 | 2 | F♯ (7) |
Why it sounds like that
G minor major 7th stacks a minor triad (1, ♭3, 5) with a major seventh (7), giving the formula 1, ♭3, 5, 7. The major seventh F♯ is what gives this chord its distinctive tension. Compare it to G minor, which lacks that seventh and sounds more stable.
What goes wrong with G minor major 7th?
- Flattening the index finger onto the D string, deadening it.
- Pressing the middle finger against the G string, stopping it from ringing.
- Letting the pinky touch the high e string, muting it.
When to use it
G minor major 7th works as a tonic in G minor, often moving to G minor or G suspended 4th. It suits dark folk, jazz waltzes, and tense film cues.
Changing to and from G minor major 7th
- Move to G minor by lifting the pinky from the B string, leaving the other fingers in place.
Which voicing to use
The open position is the easiest and has G in the bass. The 15th fret barre voicing gives a fuller sound with the root on the low E string. The 5th fret voicing omits the low strings for a tighter, higher-register color.
Other G chords
Common questions
How is G minor major 7th written?
G minor major 7th is written Gmmaj7, Gminmaj7, or GmM7. The symbol mmaj7 is also used.
Why does the open voicing not mute any strings?
All six open strings are chord tones, so they can all ring. The low E is the third, and the high e is also the third an octave higher.
How does G minor major 7th differ from G minor 7th?
G minor 7th has a minor seventh (F) while G minor major 7th has a major seventh (F♯). The major seventh creates a sharper, more leading-tone pull.
What scale does G minor major 7th come from?
G minor major 7th appears in G harmonic minor and G melodic minor scales. The raised seventh degree of those scales is the F♯ in this chord.