Gmaj7 cavaquinho chord

Gmaj7 (G major seventh) is built from G, B, D and F#, the degrees 1–3–5–7. On cavaquinho, the main shape is 5 4 3 4, the first diagram, marked with the star.

You know the hotel-lobby pianist, playing so nobody leaves? This is their chord. Gmaj7 is your regular G with the window open — same house, more air. Hit play below and notice how it asks you to stay.

Hear Gmaj7 before you play

Why Gmaj7 sounds this way

Here's the curious part: F#, the new note, lives a half step from G — that close, it should grind. And it does. But B and D hold the room, so the grind turns into shimmer instead of a fight. Play the arpeggio again, no rush all the way to the last note and wait: you'll feel the spark without the fire. It's danger with a seatbelt on — which is why it sounds expensive.

How to play Gmaj7 on cavaquinho

On the cavaquinho, four steel strings tuned D–G–B–D pack the chord into a small, bright space — every finger counts. So go with the first position below; it's the main shape — that's why it carries the ⭐. Then do the before-and-after: G, then Gmaj7. The second is the first one after sunset. Repeat until it stops sounding "wrong" — for a lot of people this chord feels odd on the first listen and addictive by the third.

Precision Tuner: Get in tune before you play: chromatic tuner and reference tones, free in standard tuning · see it in Chord and Fret

Higher up the neck this chord becomes comping carpet — the kind of sound that flatters any voice on top. Positions are right below.

Gmaj7 notes and degrees

Gmaj7 stacks the root G, the major third B, the perfect fifth D and the major seventh F#.

Where Gmaj7 shows up

Across keys, Gmaj7 works as IVmaj7 in D major, IIImaj7 in E minor, Imaj7 in G major — almost always the deluxe I or the elegant IV. It was bossa nova's signature and became the world's: today it shows up from jazz to indie without asking permission.

Transpose & Capo: Need it in another key? Transpose the progression for free; finding the best capo is part of Pro · use it in Chord and Fret

Identify Chord: Found a shape on your fretboard? Mark it on the screen and the app names the chord, 5 times a day for free · try it in Chord and Fret

Where Gmaj7 usually goes

Treating Gmaj7 as the home chord (I) of its key, it tends to go toward the pre-dominant (Am / C) or the dominant (D / F#°), and the dominant pulls back home. It's a tendency, not a law.

Going beyond Gmaj7

For improvising, G Ionian (G A B C D E F# · 1 2 3 4 5 6 7: the plain major scale, where everything starts); G Lydian (G A B C# D E F# · 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7: the major scale with a raised fourth — one extra step of daydream); G Lydian ♯2 (G A# B C# D E F# · 1 #2 3 #4 5 6 7: a lydian with a raised second, harmonic-major color) wrap the whole chord. And the jazz shapes at the end are the same four notes spread across the neck, for the day you want to sound like an arranger.

Scale: The scale's positions across the neck, with degree, note and finger labels, free; playing the scale and the tempo-ramp exercise are part of Pro · see it in Chord and Fret

Scales to improvise over Gmaj7

To improvise over Gmaj7 as home, the G Ionian scale covers it whole: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want. And when the dominant (D) pulls back, the leading tone F# is the note that wants to resolve home.

Swaps that work:

• Em7Em7Em7Em7 — Relative minor (vi) — same tonic function
• Bm7Bm7Bm7Bm7 — Mediant (iii) — tonic function

Reharmonize: Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize's Subtle and Medium levels are free; Bold and Jazz are part of Pro · open in Chord and Fret

And when the song wants solid ground again, the way back is short: plain G. Drop the seventh, close the window — the house is still there.

Updated October 20, 2026