Gm ukulele chord
Gm (G minor) is built from G, Bb and D, the degrees 1–b3–5. On ukulele, the main shape is 0 2 3 1, the first diagram, marked with the star.
From G major to Gm, a single note moves — and it feels like the season changed. Hit play below and check.
Hear Gm before you play
Why Gm sounds this way
The trick is smaller than it sounds. Two of the three notes didn't move: G and D stayed put. Only the middle one dropped — a half step, the smallest distance in music — and became A#. Go back to the audio and catch the arpeggio note by note and stop at the second note. That's the one. Half a step separates sunshine from drizzle.
How to play Gm on ukulele
On the ukulele, the high reentrant G makes every shape light — and with four strings, every note is exposed. So the first position below is your way in (1 open string helping) — it's the main shape — that's why it carries the ⭐. And do the exercise that's worth a whole lesson: G major, then Gm, then major again. Back and forth ten times, slowly. Your ear learns the difference before your brain does.
In the app: 7 Gm shapes on ukulele
With the fingering and audio of each one, free. In the app, the arpeggio and the campanella of each shape are part of Pro.
Precision Tuner: Get in tune before you play: chromatic tuner and reference tones, free in standard tuning · open in Chord and Fret
Once the first shape comes out without thinking, the positions below are waiting. That's where Gm lives in songs that roam the neck.
Left-handed? Mirror's right here
Gm notes and degrees
Gm stacks the root G, the minor third Bb and the perfect fifth D.
Where Gm shows up
In real music, Gm works almost always as v in C minor, iv in D minor, i in G minor. In global pop it's the famous vi: the serious detour a chorus takes without leaving the key. You've heard it a thousand times; now you'll start noticing it.
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
Real songs pass through here: Pagode · pagode cycle · Samba · circle-of-fifths progression
Where Gm usually goes
Treating Gm as the home chord (i) of a minor key, it tends to go toward the pre-dominant (Cm) or the dominant (D7, from harmonic minor), and the dominant pulls back home. It's a tendency, not a law.
Going beyond Gm
When it's time to improvise, G Dorian (G A Bb C D E F · 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7: the minor scale with a major sixth — the minor that smirks); G Aeolian (G A Bb C D Eb F · 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7: the natural minor, the major scale's relative sibling); G Phrygian (G Ab Bb C D Eb F · 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7: the minor with a lowered second — a Spanish seasoning) work in full. The swaps below are the chord's cousins: different color, same job.
G Dorian
In the app: the 7 positions of G Dorian on ukulele
With degree, note and finger labels on each one, free. Playing the whole scale is part of Pro.
The same G Dorian in its main shapes along the neck — pick whichever position sits under your hand. The rings mark the guide notes (the 3rd and 7th) that carry this chord's color.
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 · try it in Chord and Fret
Scales to improvise over Gm
To improvise over Gm as home, the G Aeolian scale fits entirely: 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:
Reharmonize: Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize's Subtle and Medium levels are free; Bold and Jazz are part of Pro · see it in Chord and Fret
There's one step left in this story. The serious Gm you just learned has a softer, late-afternoon version that lo-fi and bossa nova love: Gm7. Go hear the difference.
Gm chord questions
What notes are in the Gm chord?
The Gm chord is made of the notes G, Bb and D.
How do you play Gm on ukulele?
Form the shape from string 4 to string 1: 0 2 3 1. “0” means play it open.
What chord comes after Gm?
Treating Gm as the home chord (i) of a minor key, it tends to go toward the pre-dominant (Cm) or the dominant (D7, from harmonic minor), and the dominant pulls back home. It's a tendency, not a law.
What scale works over Gm?
To improvise over Gm as home, the G Aeolian scale fits entirely: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want.