Table of Contents
How to Play G Minor on Ukulele
Introduction
Well, this will be the last minor chord from the basic minor ones that we will share with you. In this article, we are going to talk about the G Minor chord. The G minor chord is one that is frequently used and it is good to know how to press and play this one because when knowing it, you will expand your choice of songs and improve as a player.
The G minor chord accommodates the notes G-Bb-D. To construct a Gm chord, take the minor triad components (1-b3-5) and apply them to the G major scale (G, A, B, C, D, E, F#).
Determine the primary, third, and fifth scale degrees in a G major scale that are G-B-D. Because the chord Gm is G minor chord, decrease the third scale degree a half step in accordance with the minor triad components, which ends up in the notes G-Bb-D for the G minor chord.
These are some basic information to get you hooked on the topic. Now we will dive more deeply into playing this chord and we’ll explain some variations on how to play them as well. Also, we’ll share how to play the chord on the piano, in case you need to find your starting point for tuning and one famous song that has this chord, where you can practice it.
Play G Minor on Ukulele: How to Play It
To be able to play the G minor chord on the ukulele, place your center finger on the 2nd fret of the C-string, your ring finger on the third fret of the E-string, and your index finger on the first fret of the A-string. Let the g-string ring open. There are a number of alternative ways to play the Gm chord on the ukulele.
To be honest, this is a very easy chord to master. There are many much more difficult chords and variations, and we believe that this one should be no problem for anybody. Just follow the instructions on how to place the fingers, on which strings, and on the exact fret and you will be good.
Other ways that you will be able to find this chord named is Gm and/or Gmin. With that being said, let’s see the root position and some variations explained.
G Minor Ukulele Chord: Root Position
To be able to play the root position of the G Minor chord, you will need to do the following thing:
- Use your Index finger to press the A string on the 1st fret.
- Use your middle finger to press the C string on the 2nd fret.
- Use your ring finger to press the E string on the 3rd fret.
For this root position playing option, you will need to leave the G string to ring open, so do not worry about it. The only thing that you will need to take care of is not to mute this string with your other fingers and get a muffled note out of it. Just leave it open.
G minor Ukulele Chord: 1st Inversion
To play the 1st inversion of the Gm chord, you will need to employ all of your fingers and press all the strings. It might sound exhausting, but actually, it is really easy to do it. Here is how you will need to press this variant of the chord:
- Use your Index finger to press the A string on the 1st fret.
- Use your middle finger to press the C string on the 2nd fret.
- Use your ring finger to press the G string on the 3rd fret.
- Use your pinky finger to press the E string on the 3rd fret as well.
Once you place your fingers on your fretboard, you will see that it is actually easy to do it. Everything is easy with a little bit of practice.
G minor Ukulele Chord: 2nd Inversion
When it comes to playing this inversion of the Gm chord, you will notice that your fingers will fall naturally on the fretboard as it requires playing this version. Pretty straightforward pressing to get out this chord. Here’s how:
- Use your Index finger to press the A string on the 5th fret.
- Use your middle finger to press the E string on the 6th fret.
- Use your ring finger to press the C string on the 7th fret.
You just climbed a little stairway with your fingers and took a walk with G minor chord on your ukulele. Sorry for being a tad dramatic. For this variation as well, you need to let the G string play freely.
G minor Ukulele Chord: 3rd Inversion
For the last inversion of this chord, we picked one that should be very easy to play. This one requires to use of only one finger to press down three strings, also known as a barre chord. Here is what you will need to do to play this chord right:
- Use the Index finger to press the C, E, and A string on the 10th fret.
Again, here you are leaving the G string to ring freely. No hard variations here, if you ask us.
How to Play G Minor Chord on Piano
Like different minor triads, to construct a Gm chord, you mix the root, flat third (minor third), and perfect fifth of the major scale.
Initially let’s check out the G major scale. The notes of this scale are G, A, B, C, D, E, F# and G. G is note 1, A is a note, 2, B is note 3, C is note 4, D is note 5, E is note 6 and F# is note 7 of the G major scale.
To construct a G minor chord we must decrease notes 3, B by a half step. As an alternative to playing B, we should play B flat. The notes of the G minor chord are G – Bb – D versus G major which is made up of the notes, G – B – D.
Notes G – Bb – D
Famous Songs that use the G Minor Ukulele Chord
Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz and actress Tiffany Haddish have launched their tune ‘You Do You’ from the album Look For The Good. This single release comes with a brand new music video that has an animated dance social gathering between Mraz, Haddish, and some of their buddies, as the unique concept was canceled resulting of quarantine laws throughout COVID-19.
By having a tremendous video manufacturing crew readily available, Mraz and Haddish had been in a position to take “the music to the streets virtually, drawing inspiration from classics like ‘Reading Rainbow’ and ‘Electric Company,‘” making it the “good visible for an upbeat tune about individuality.”
Haddish states that this new tune is the “epitome” of what she believes, expressing that “Life could be a lot simpler if all of us portrayed ourselves as who we actually are.”
Conclusion
With this article, we are concluding the basic minor chords. In the future, we will continue with various other chords in no particular order. We will try to continue and cover the most used ones that we will meet in songs that are popular and evergreen for the ukulele instrument.
As for this chord, we believe that you will have no trouble learning it and that you will get over it very fast and easily. In case you face some troubles with it, you will always be able to refer back to this article for double-checking how things should be done.
If you have any comments or questions regarding it, feel free to leave a message below and we will be happy to provide some feedback. Until then!
