How to Play the Open Position G Chord and CAGED G Shape
The G chord is one of the more complex open-position chords due to the number of different ways it can be played.
One common approach is to include a 3rd on the open B string, while fretting the second fret of string 5. This is a typical way to write it in a chord box but is less frequently used in practice.
A more effective method involves muting the 5th string but maintaining the 3rd on the open 2nd string, still preserving the essence of a G chord.
When we start to transition this G chord into a G chord shape, the difficulty increases as it’s nearly impossible to fret the full shape. However, you can visualise it and then play fractions of the shape.
Below is a Chordacus image illustrating both the open-position G chord and the barre chord shape. When trying the barre shape, you’ll find that it’s not practical to fully fret the shape, but with a bit of mental mapping, you can work with sections of it.
G chord extensions
The G chord and its shape can be extended into a variety of interesting variations. Below are the extensions of the G chord using the CAGED shape.
- G major chord (root, 3rd, 5th, root, 3rd, root)
- G5 (root, 5, root, 5, root)
- Gsus2 (root, 5, 2, 5)
- Gadd9 (root, 5, 2, 5)
- Gsus4 (root, 5, root, 4)
- G7sus4 (5, root, 4, b7)
- G6 (root, 6, root, 3)
- G6/9 (root, 6, 9, 5)
- Gmaj7 (5, root, 3, 7)
- G7 (5, root, 3, b7)
- G11 (root, b7, 9, 11)
To fully internalise these extensions, you need to experience them in context—meaning, play and hear them in real songs. This is where your memory and recognition skills will develop.
For instance, to recognise an 11-chord, think of songs like Never Too Much by Luther Vandross or Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough by Michael Jackson. For the add9 chord, Every Breath You Take by The Police and Eva Cassidy’s version of Over The Rainbow come to mind.
The G chord appears in all nine of the beginner tunes we pay in the course, but it’s used in different ways depending on the song. Some examples:
- In The Drugs Don’t Work, the G chord has an open B string.
- In Ain’t No Sunshine, the G5 chord is used.
- In Rewind and Redemption Song, both an open position G and a G5 appear.
In Time of Your Life by Green Day, the G chord is played as a G5, which contributes to the song’s punk vibe. But if you add a second guitar with a capo on fret 7 to play a C chord, you get a third note in the chord, which transforms the sound to something more country-like.
As you can see, the way you play a G chord does matter—it can shift the mood from punk to country and add an entirely different flavour to your music.
Building Scales and Arpeggios Around the G Chord/Shape
Let’s take the G-shaped chord and use it as a foundation to build a variety of arpeggios and scales, including the maj7 arpeggio, dom7 arpeggio, major pentatonic, Ionian (the major scale), Lydian, and Mixolydian.
Below are the intervals used to build each of these arpeggios and scales around the G-shaped chord:
The G Chord | Related Pages
Guitar chords
You can learn how to build all minor and major guitar chords using the so-called CAGED system.
This system forms the foundation upon which we can extend chords and build arpeggios and modes as well.
The Gm chord
The Gm chord is a bit of an oddity—many people aren’t familiar with the open-position Gm chord, and it’s not often used in songs.
Surprisingly, it’s quite easy to fret in the open position, but the challenge arises when it is turned into a full chord shape.
Beginner Acoustic
This collection of beginner acoustic tunes will teach you how to arrange for one acoustic guitar, as well as how to create a supporting part.
Playing songs will help you switch between open-position chords, giving you the context you need to understand music theory in a practical way.