First and foremost, the GMaj7 guitar chord is the tonic of the key of G major. It is also the III chord in E minor and the IV chord in D major.
The G Maj 7 guitar chord is built from the notes G B D F#. When we build a major 7 chord, we stack the intervals of a major triad and a major 7th. Also, this chord is often shortened to “GMaj7”.
This article will go over many voicings for this chord along with easy to read chord charts and an FAQ to explain anything you may be confused about. Let’s get to it…
GMaj7 Guitar Chord Theory
- A G Maj 7 chord has the notes G B D F#
- The G Major 7 chord uses the Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th and Major 7th tones of a G Major Scale.
- Another way to think of building this chord is stacking a major 7th on top of a G major triad.
- A quick way to find the major 7 of a chord is to think of the note one half step below the root. In this case, F# is one half step below G, we know that F# is the major 7. This saves us the trouble of counting up 11 half steps!
How To Play The G Maj7 Guitar Chord
- Place your index finger on the 3rd fret of the 6th string.
- Place your middle finger on the 3rd fret of the 2nd string.
- Place your ring finger on the 4th fret of the 4th string.
- Place your pinky on the 4th fret of the 3rd string.
G Maj7 Open Chord
- Place your middle finger on the 3rd fret of the 6th string.
- Place your index finger on the 2nd fret of the 6th string.
G Major 7 Barre Chords
- Place your index finger on the 10th fret of the 5th string.
- Place your middle finger on the 11th fret of the 3rd string.
- Place your ring finger on the 12th fret of the 4th string.
- Place your pinky on the 12th fret of the 2nd string.
Alternate Ways To Play The G Maj 7 Guitar Chord
- Place your index finger on the 2nd fret of the 1st string.
- Place your middle finger on the 3rd fret of the 2nd string.
- Place your ring finger on the 4th fret of the 3rd string.
- Place your pinky on the 5th fret of the 4th string.
- Place your index finger on the 5th fret of the 4th string.
- Place your middle finger on the 7th fret of the 3rd string.
- Place your ring finger on the 7th fret of the 2nd string.
- Place your pinky on the 7th fret of the 1st string.
- Place your index finger on the 12th fret of the 4th string and barre.
- Place your ring finger on the 14th fret of the 1st string.
How To Play Other Major 7 Chords
Want to learn more about a specific Maj7 chord? Click on any of the links below to see their respective article. If you’re hungry for a broader understanding of 7th chords, click here.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Maj 7 chords work?
When we break down a Major 7 chord, we get little pieces, like legos. These pieces are major 3rd + perfect 5th + major 7th.
Another way to think of this is a major 3rd + a minor 3rd + a major 3rd.
Yet, one more way to think about building major 7 chords, (and this is the easiest in my opinion)
Is to get a major triad and stack a major 7 on top.
By the way, the major 7 is 11 half steps above the root note, since there are 12 notes total before we reach the octave, that means that it is also just 1 semitone below the root. This is a quick and easy way to find the Major 7 of a chord!
What is the difference between a 7 chord and a Maj 7 chord?
The major 7 and dominant 7 chord (7 chord) are commonly mistaken for one another, especially since their shorthand notation makes them look so similar (maj7 vs 7). But these chords are not the same.
While major 7 chords and dominant 7 chords only have 1 note difference, they sound different and serve different harmonic functions in a chord progression.
As I hope you know by now, G major has the notes G B D F#. The G7 chord has the notes GBDF. A major 7 chord has a major triad and a major 7, while a dominant 7 has a major triad and a minor 7.
Many people wonder if you can just play a G maj 7 instead of a G7, and I would have to say no because they sound so different. That is unless you are writing your own song and simply like the way it sounds.
How do you play G Maj 7 on guitar?
To play a G maj 7 chord on guitar, place your index finger on the 3rd fret of the 6th string, place your middle finger on the 3rd fret of the 2nd string, place your ring finger on the 4th fret of the 4th string, and place your pinky on the 4th fret of the 3rd string.
What is a G major 7 guitar chord?
A G Maj7 chord is a Maj7 chord built on the note G.
What is the difference between G major 7 and G on guitar?
When you see “G” as a guitar chord, it is referring to a G major triad (GBD). When you see “GMaj7” it is referring to the same chord but with a major 7 above it (GBDF#).
Is G Major 7 in the key of C?
G Major 7 is not in the key of C.
This is a common misunderstanding, especially because the G major triad is in the key of C.
We know that the key of C has no sharps or flats, and the G major triad is made of the notes GBD.
However when we add a major 7th to this chord, we get the notes GBDF#. F# is not in the key of C. To be in the key of C, that F# would need to be an F♮. When we lower the F# to F♮, we get the notes GBDF.
The resulting chord is a dominant 7 chord. So in the key of C, G7 is the diatonic chord.
Conclusion
The GMaj7 guitar chord is made of the notes G B D F#. It is a major 7 chord. G major 7 is a common chord in the keys of G major, D major, and E minor. We get major 7 chords by adding a major 7th on top of a major triad. Remember that a major 7th is one half step below the root note, just like F# to G.
Many people get confused by the difference between G maj 7 and G7, the difference is that G Maj7 is a Maj 7 chord, and a G7 is a dominant 7 chord. If this still confuses you, I suggest learning about the different types of 7th chords.
I hope you learned a lot from this article! Which GMaj7 guitar chord voicing is your favorite?
