How to play Gm (G Minor) on Piano
Diagram, notes, and audio for the Gm chord on piano. Free in your browser.
About Gm on piano
G minor on piano is G, Bb, and D. Thumb on G, middle finger on Bb (the black key between A and B), pinky on D. The chord sounds darker than G major because the middle note drops a semitone — Bb instead of B natural. This single change is what every listener identifies as 'minor' or 'sad' across centuries of Western music.
G minor is the i chord in the key of G minor (two flats: Bb and Eb) and the iii chord in Eb major. On piano it appears throughout the classical repertoire — Mozart's Symphony No. 40 famously opens in G minor — and across modern pop and film. Adele, Lana Del Rey, and Hans Zimmer all use Gm-rooted progressions when a track needs a contemplative or cinematic flavour.
Pairing Gm with its diatonic neighbours — Bb (III), Cm (iv), D or Dm (V or v), Eb (VI), F (VII) — creates the natural minor chord palette. Famous progressions include i-VII-VI-VII (Gm-F-Eb-F), the descending Andalusian cadence, and i-VI-III-VII (Gm-Eb-Bb-F), used in rock and orchestral writing alike.
Frequently asked questions
- What three notes are in a G minor chord on piano?
- G, Bb, and D — root, minor third, perfect fifth.
- Where is Bb on the piano?
- Bb is the black key immediately to the left of B — the rightmost black key in every group of three.
- How do I voice-lead from Gm to D on piano?
- Hold D, move G up to A (or down to F# if you want the 7th), and Bb up to A natural. The result moves smoothly into a D major triad with the cleanest possible voice leading.
Switch instruments
See Gm on a different instrument — same chord, new diagram.