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G minor

G minor has 2 flats (B♭ and E♭). Its scale is G A B♭ C D E♭ F, its chords are Gm, Adim, B♭, Cm, Dm, E♭ and F, and its relative major is B♭ major.

Make a beat in G minorWrite a melody in this key

Opens the free editor with a trap beat on Gm E♭ B♭ F. No account needed to start.

The G minor scale

Whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole: the half steps come between A and B♭, and between D and E♭.

G A B♭ C D E♭ F G

GACDFGB♭E♭

On the piano, G minor uses 2 black keys (B♭ and E♭) and 5 white keys (G, A, C, D and F).

The notes of G minor by scale degree
DegreeNoteName
1GTonic
2ASupertonic
3B♭Mediant
4CSubdominant
5DDominant
6E♭Submediant
7FSubtonic

The raised seventh

Many songs in G minor raise F to F♯. That makes the harmonic minor scale, G A B♭ C D E♭ F♯, and turns the fifth chord from Dm into D major, which pulls hard back to Gm. The editor’s minor progressions play the fifth chord that way.

Chords in G minor

One chord on each note of the scale, built from the scale’s own notes. The Roman numeral says which note it starts on: capitals are major, small letters minor.

iGm
ii°Adim
IIIB♭
ivCm
vDm
VIE♭
VIIF

Which chords sound happy or sad

Dark

Gm Cm Dm

i, iv, v. The minor chords. Gm is home, and the key’s sad colour.

Lifting

B♭ E♭ F

III, VI, VII. The major chords, which bring light into a minor song.

Tense

Adim

ii°. Diminished: tense and unstable, so most minor songs use it only in passing.

A progression in G minor

The epic minor · i–VI–III–VII
Gm
E♭
B♭
F
Hear it as

More progressions in G minor

Key signature and related keys

Key signature

2 flats: B♭ E♭

Written at the start of every line of music, so each B and E is played flat. Sharps join in the order F C G D A E B, and flats in the order B E A D G C F.

Relative major

B♭ major

The same seven notes and key signature, starting on B♭.

Parallel major

G major

The same home note, with 1 sharp. Borrowing a chord from it makes a part sound brighter.

Next to it on the circle of fifths

Keys next to each other share six of their seven notes. See them all on the circle of fifths.

G minor in beats

The editor’s starter beats for these styles are written in G minor. Each opens the free editor with its own drums, bass and chords at its usual tempo, no account needed.

Dancehall · 96 BPMDominican dembow · 125 BPMFuture bass · 150 BPMJungle · 165 BPMMelodic techno · 124 BPMNew jack swing · 102 BPMProgressive house · 125 BPMSteppers · 76 BPM

And 1 more of the editor’s styles start in G minor.

Questions about G minor

How many flats are in G minor?

Two: B♭ and E♭. Those notes are played flat every time, so the key signature has 2 flats, and B♭ major, its relative major, has the same.

What is the relative major of G minor?

B♭ major. It uses the same seven notes and the same key signature as G minor, but starts on B♭, the third note of the scale. The two share every chord, which is why songs move between them so easily.

What chords are in G minor?

Gm, Adim, B♭, Cm, Dm, E♭ and F: one built on each note of the scale (i, ii°, III, iv, v, VI, VII). Many songs play the fifth chord as D major instead of Dm: its F♯ pulls hard back to Gm.

What is a common chord progression in G minor?

i–VI–III–VII: Gm, E♭, B♭ and F. It is the minor key’s best-known loop, heard in anthems, EDM and film, and it is the one the beat on this page plays.

Every key

Major keys
C majorG majorD majorA majorE majorB majorF♯ majorD♭ majorA♭ majorE♭ majorB♭ majorF major
Minor keys
A minorE minorB minorF♯ minorC♯ minorG♯ minorD♯ minorB♭ minorF minorC minorG minorD minor

Build a song in G minor

Start with the beat, then add chords, a melody and your voice in the editor, part by part.

Make a beat in G minorAll music keys

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