5 Ways to Play the G chord on Guitar

The G major chord is one of the first chords learned by most guitarists and it’s a go to in a huge number of songs.

But many guitarists only know how to play it one or two ways.

This post will show you 5 different ways to play the G chord on guitar.

G Chord Variation 1: Open G

This is the most common way to play a G major on guitar. You most probably already know this one but I will include it here for completeness.

The open G is played by:

1. Placing your 1^st finger (index finger) in the 2^nd fret of the A string
2. Placing your 2^nd finger (middle finger) in the 3^rd fret of the Low E string
3. Placing your 3^rd finger (ring finger) in the 3^rd fret of the High e string

All strings are strummed when strumming this chord – so the D, G & B strings are played open.

There is a slight variation on this which is also very common. it’s the way I naturally play this chord.

1. Placing your 1^st finger (index finger) in the 2^nd fret of the A string
2. Placing your 2^nd finger (middle finger) in the 3^rd fret of the Low E string
3. Placing your 3^rd finger (ring finger) in the 3^rd fret of the B string
4. Placing your 4^th finger (pinky) in the 3^rd fret of the High e string

I find this has a slightly “fuller” sound to it.

G Chord Variation 2: Barre G

The next most common version of G major is the Barre chord.

The Barre G is played by barring the 3^rd fret over all the strings with your 1^st finger and creating the open E shape in the 4^th & 5^th frets. All the strings are strummed when strumming this chord.

If you aren’t sure about how to play barre chords check out the link below.

>>How to Play Major Barre Chords on Guitar

You can also play an “A String Barre G”. This is played by barring all but the Low E string in the 10^th fret with your 1^st finger and making the open A shape in the 12^th fret.

Again, if you aren’t familiar with how to construct barre chords, see the link above.

G Chord Variation 3: Mid Fingerboard

This a good mid fingerboard option.

1. Barre first finger across the G, B and high e-strings in the 7^th fret
2. Place the 2^nd finger in the 8^th fret on the B string
3. Place the 3^rd finger in the 9^th fret on the D string
4. Place the 4^th finger in the 10^th fret on the A string

Only strum from the A string down. Don’t strum the low E string.

Some people find it easier to use the 1^st finger to barre from the A string down. This also allows you to use the tip of your index finger to mute the Low E string so you can strum more freely without worrying about hitting that Low E string.

G Chord Variation 4: Higher up the fretboard

This variation gives a G major chord option that is higher up the fretboard. It has a significantly different flavor to the Barre chord that you can play in this area of the fingerboard.

1. Place your 1^st finger on the 9^th fret on the D string
2. Place your 2^nd finger on the 10^th fret on the A string
3. Place your 3^rd finger on the 10^th fret on the high E string

Strum all but the Low E string when you are strumming this.

G Chord Variation 5: High Up Fingerboard #2

This is nice easy one to finish and nice sounding (IMO). It also has a few nice variations to it, they still keep it a G major chord but can add something extra or it can be minimized when that’s more appropriate for the sound you’re looking for.

Technically this is a G with a D bass.

1. Place the 1^st finger in the 10^th fret of the E string
2. Place the 2^nd finger in the 10^th fret of the A string

Strum all but the high e string.

There are many variations you can bring into this one. The ones that I use are:

1. Use 2^nd & 3^rd fingers in place of 1^st and 2^nd above and place the 1^st finger in the 9^th fret of the D string. Only strum down to the G string (or you can also strum the B string as well but I like this without the B string).
2. Place your 3^rd finger in the 10^th fret of the high E string and now strum that string as well.
3. & b. together
4. Place 4^th finger in 12 fret of the B string (strum all but high e string)
5. Place your 3^rd finger in the 10^th fret of the high E string (like b. above) and your 4^th finger in the 12^th fret of the B string (like d. above), strum all strings

Thanks for Reading

I hope this post has given you some different options for playing the G major chord.

Do you have any other ways that you like to play G major? Feel free to leave a comment below.

Related Articles:

Easy Tutorial for Left Handed Guitar Chords How Many Guitar Chords are There? How to Play Major 7th Chords on Guitar How To Play Cm Guitar Chord? 8 Guitar Songs with 4 Chords