G Major - The simple key explained even more simply
Want to become a G major pro? Then you’ve come to the right place: In this article, I’ll get you up to speed on G major.
You’ll soon see that G major feels really good under your fingers.
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Gordon November
Gordon November
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Before we dedicate ourselves to G major – a little detour into C major:
C major is considered the easiest key of all. Whether with the C major scale or with the C major triad – you’ll have it easy. Why? Because there are no black keys in C major. And those are a little hated among piano players.
Today is not about C major, but about G major. The good news first: The G major scale is (almost) as easy as the one in C major. And the G major chords will – pun intended – also come easily to you. Because: In G major we only need one black key. You’ll learn more about that soon.
After you have worked through this article, you can:
- play the G major scale in your sleep.
- use the G major fingering intuitively correctly.
- immediately recognize the G major chord and its inversions.
The notes in G major
The G major scale consists, like all major scales on the piano – of eight notes. Whereby the first note corresponds to the last. So strictly speaking, you only have to remember seven notes:
G – A – B – C – D – E – F# – G
You only need a single black key in G major: F#. Here is G major in sheet music for you. Can’t read sheet music? Don’t panic. An illustration will follow, on which you can see the G major keys.
Play the G major scale comfortably
Now that you know the notes of G major, you can start right away and play the scale of G major. You can see which keys you need for this in the illustration below.
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Excursion: Your fingers and their numbering
Have you noticed that there is a number on each key to be played? These numbers stand for the fingers of your right hand.
1 = Thumb
2 = Index finger
3 = Middle finger
4 = Ring finger
5 = Little finger
Off to the piano and start playing. You play the first three notes of G major quite intuitively with the first three fingers of your right hand. Then you slide your thumb under your middle finger and strike the C with it.
Then you continue playing until you have arrived at the F# with your fourth finger. Then you play the last note with your little finger. Or, you play the G with your thumb. This makes sense if you want to play the G major scale even further up.
Now let’s take a look at the G major triads.
This is what the G major triad looks like
First, we dedicate ourselves to the G major triad in the basic position. You play G – B – D with your first, third and fifth fingers. If only all major triads were so easy, right?
G major triad in the 1st inversion
The G major chord in the first inversion is composed of the notes B – D – G. The root note has simply wandered from bottom to top.
G major triad in the 2nd inversion
For the G major chord in the 2nd inversion, you simply attach the lowest note of the 1st inversion to the top of the chord.
D – G – B
You can play the G major chord in the 2nd inversion comfortably with 1 – 3 – 5.
This is the parallel minor key of G major
The parallel minor key of G major is E minor.
You now master G major
Wow. And you already master one more key on your keyboard. Keep up the good work! Also take a look at our guide to learning piano.
Play Piano by Intuition
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