G#m piano chord, G# minor notes and fingering.

The G#m piano chord is G# minor: the notes G#, B and D# played together. It is a root (G#), a minor third (B, three semitones above the root) and a perfect fifth (D#, seven semitones above). Chord charts write it as G#m or G#min.

How to play G#m on piano

1. Find G# on the keyboard. G# is the middle black key of the group of three, between G and A. It is the same key as Ab.
2. With your right hand, put finger 1 on G#, finger 3 on B and finger 5 on D#. Finger 1 is the thumb.
3. Press all three keys together. In root position they run from G#3 to D#4, a reach of 7 semitones. Play chord sounds them together and Arpeggio sounds them one by one, from the bottom up.
4. Click Left hand to see the left hand. It plays G#2 to D#3, one octave lower: G# with finger 5, B with finger 3, D# with finger 1.
5. The cards under the keyboard hold the three positions, with G#, B and D# at the bottom in turn. Play and Arpeggio on a card play that position.
6. Open Note names. As written the keys read G#, B and D#. Sharps shows G#, B and D#, and Flats shows Ab, B and Eb. This chord is written with sharps, so As written and Sharps match.

How G#m is built

Counted from the root, the formula is 0, 3, 7. Stacked on each other the gaps are 3 + 4: a minor third (G# to B) with a major third (B to D#) on top. A minor triad is a major triad with the third moved down one semitone. G# major and G# minor share G# and D#, and only the middle note differs: B# against B.

Worked example: the pitch of G#3. On a piano tuned to A4 = 440 Hz, a note 13 semitones below A4 has the frequency 440 × 2^(-13/12), which is about 207.65 Hz. B3 is 10 semitones below A4, so 440 × 2^(-10/12) gives about 246.94 Hz.

G#m and Abm are the same chord on the keyboard: the same three keys sound for both. Written as Abm it reads Ab, Cb and Eb. The key of G# minor has 5 sharps and the key of Ab minor has 7 flats.

What the keys look like under your hand

The white keys beside G# are G on the left and A on the right, a semitone each way. Two of the three notes are black keys (G# and D#) and one is a white key (B). Your thumb lands on G#, a black key with G and A beside it. Keep the thumb relaxed and slightly curved, and let the wrist stay level instead of twisting to reach. Your little finger plays D#, a black key with D and E beside it. The little finger is short, so let the hand lean a little toward its edge and aim for the middle of the key.

G#m inversions and fingering

G#m has three positions. In root position G# is at the bottom. In the first inversion, B is at the bottom and the chord is written G#m/B. In the second inversion, D# is at the bottom and the chord is written G#m/D#. The tightest reach, 7 semitones from the lowest key to the highest, is the root position. The widest, at 9, is the first inversion.

The keys that hold G#m

G#m fits six of the major and natural minor keys that have a standard key signature, which means every note of it comes from that key's scale. The simplest is E major, with 4 sharps, where it is chord iii.

Progressions that use G#m, with the chord numbers and the chords in that key:

• E major: I-iii-IV-V, which is E, G#m, A, B, a climb from the tonic to the dominant.
• C# minor: i-iv-v-i, which is C#m, F#m, G#m, C#m, the minor-key cadence.
• B major: I-V-vi-IV, which is B, F#, G#m, E, the four-chord loop heard in a great deal of pop.

Here is a worked example in E major. The chord before G#m in the first progression above is E (E, G# and B). From E in root position, the closest way to reach G#m is its second inversion (D#, G# and B, lowest note first): two notes stay where they are, and the others move 1 semitone in total, counting each note against the note in the same place from the bottom.

What G#m sounds like

Minor chords sound darker and more serious than major ones, and they carry the mood of many songs. They are not only for sad music, though: in a major key the ii, iii and vi chords are all minor, so a bright song uses them too.

G#m is the iii chord in E major, the v chord in C# minor and the vi chord in B major.

A common mistake with G#m

A common mistake is pressing B# instead of B, one semitone higher than the third of G#m. That turns the chord into G# major (G#, B# and D#). If your G#m sounds too bright, check the middle finger first.

Chords to learn next

Chords close to G#m: G# major, listed as Ab major (same root, with a major third; shares G# and D#); G#m7 (adds a minor seventh; contains all its notes); G#dim (lowers the fifth; shares G# and B); B major (its relative major; shares B and D#).

Once G#m feels easy, play it and then G# major to hear what one note changes. For chords beyond these six types, and for guitar and ukulele shapes, use the chord finder. To play along with your computer keys, open the virtual piano. The piano chords page lists all 72 chords.