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The Gmaj7 chord on guitar, the soft side of G

Gmaj7, G major seventh, is a G chord with F# added. That note sits just a half step under the root, and it gives the chord its soft, slightly dreamy sound. The open shape needs only two fingers, which makes it one of the friendliest seventh chords on the guitar.

Gmaj7 chord: notes and shapes at a glance

  • Name: G major seventh
  • Symbol: Gmaj7
  • Notes: G, B, D, F#
  • Where it belongs: IVmaj7 in D major, Imaj7 in G major, IIImaj7 in E minor, VImaj7 in B minor

Each shape below is written from the thickest string to the thinnest: a number is the fret, 0 an open string, x a string you do not play. New to this? See how to read chord diagrams.

Shape Frets, low E to high E Notes, low to high What it is for
Gmaj7, open 3x0002 G D G B F# Two fingers: G on the low E, F# on the high E. The A string is muted, so the bass stays clean.
Gmaj7, six strings 320002 G B D G B F# The open G shape with F# on top. Fuller, and one finger away from G7 (320001).
Gmaj7, compact 3x443x G F# B D Four strings, one note each: G, F#, B, D. The major seventh sits in the middle of the chord, softer than on top.
Gmaj7, barre 354433 G D F# B D G The Emaj7 shape barred at fret 3. All six strings, for electric parts and barre heavy songs.
Gmaj7, tenth fret x 10 12 11 12 10 G D F# B D The Cmaj7 shape moved to fret 10: first finger barred, third finger on the D string at 12, second on the G string at 11, fourth on the B string at 12.
Gmaj7, open 3 x 0 0 0 2 2 · · · · 1 fingers
Gmaj7, six strings 3 2 0 0 0 2 3 2 · · · 1 fingers
Gmaj7, compact 3 x 4 4 3 x 2 · 3 4 1 · fingers
Gmaj7, barre 3 5 4 4 3 3 1 4 2 3 1 1 fingers
Gmaj7, tenth fret x 10 12 11 12 10

Read each diagram from the thickest string on the left to the thinnest on the right. A cross means the string is not played, a circle means it rings open.

Gmaj7 on the neck: every G, B, D, F#

Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of Gmaj7: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still Gmaj7.

Fretboard notes
Swipe the fretboard sideways to see every fret.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1 - E
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
2 - B
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
3 - G
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
4 - D
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
5 - A
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
6 - E
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E

How to play the open Gmaj7

  1. Second finger on the low E string at fret 3: G. Let the finger lean a little onto the A string to mute it.
  2. First finger on the high E string at fret 2: F#.
  3. Leave the D, G and B strings open. Strum from the low E: you hear G, D, G, B and F#.
Once that is clean, try the six string 320002: third finger on the low E at fret 3, second finger on the A string at fret 2, first finger still on the high E at fret 2. It is the usual open G fingering, with the top note moved down one fret.

G, Gmaj7 and G7: one string, three chords

Keep 320 on the bottom three strings and the B string open, and only change the high E:

High E Note Chord Character
Fret 3 G G, 320003 Plain major
Fret 2 F# Gmaj7, 320002 Soft, at rest
Fret 1 F G7, 320001 Tense, pulls toward C

Play the three in a row, G, Gmaj7, G7, then resolve to C (x32010). The top note walks down G, F#, F, E: a little descending line that sounds great at the end of a phrase.

Where Gmaj7 fits

In the key of G, Gmaj7 is the home chord in its jazzier form. In the key of D, it is the IV chord, and that is where it shows up most in pop and folk: a softer stop between D and A.

Progression Shapes What to listen for
Gmaj7, Cmaj7 3x0002, x32000 Two major sevenths, a slow, floating swing
Dmaj7, Gmaj7 xx0222, 3x0002 I to IV in D, both chords soft
Gmaj7, Em, Cmaj7, D 320002, 022000, x32000, xx0232 The classic G loop, softened

See also Cmaj7 and Dmaj7, and Gmaj7/B for the same chord with B in the bass.

The compact and barre shapes

3x443x puts F# in the middle of the chord instead of on top. Second finger on the low E at fret 3 (G), muting the A string; third finger on the D string at fret 4 (F#); fourth finger on the G string at fret 4 (B); first finger on the B string at fret 3 (D). Strum four strings only. It is a quieter, rounder Gmaj7, and it moves: two frets up it is Amaj7.

354433 is the open Emaj7 (021100) barred at fret 3. Use it when the song is already in barre chords; otherwise the open shapes sound better on an acoustic.

Frequently asked questions

How do you play Gmaj7 on guitar?
The easiest version is 3x0002: second finger on the low E at fret 3, first finger on the high E at fret 2, and the D, G and B strings open. Keep the A string silent. For a fuller sound, add B on the A string at fret 2: 320002.
What notes are in Gmaj7?
Four: G, B, D and F#. A G major chord plus F#, the major seventh, one half step below the root.
What is the difference between G7 and Gmaj7?
G7 contains F, Gmaj7 contains F#. That half step changes everything: G7 is tense and pulls toward C, Gmaj7 is soft and can stay where it is. On the open shapes, it is the high E string at fret 1 or at fret 2.
Why mute the A string on Gmaj7?
To keep G alone in the bass. With the A string open you would add an A, which is not in the chord. In 3x0002 the second finger on the low E simply leans on the A string to silence it.
Can I play Gmaj7 instead of G?
Often, as long as the melody does not land on G against the F#. It softens the chord and works well when G returns many times in a song. Play the bar both ways and listen.
Yohann Abbou, guitar teacher and founder of Guitar Social Club

Who made this

Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris who teaches adults. Every shape on this page is written string by string and checked against standard tuning, and the diagrams are drawn from those same fret numbers. The rest of our free guitar tools, including the chord finder, work the same way.

More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.