Meet G major, one of the most popular key signatures in all of music! In fact, Spotify reports that listeners stream more songs in the key G major than in any other key.
What makes G major such a great key signature? For one thing, it has only one sharp. That means it’s almost as easy to play the G major piano scale as it is to play the C major scale, which has no sharps or flats. Also, the guitar chords for G major are easy to play and remember, making it a favorite key signature for guitarists as well. G major is a very ergonomic key for both guitar and piano, two instruments that are often used in popular and classical Western music. This makes G major a great key for composing and performing songs.
Want to learn all of the major scales on piano? Download our free Guide to All Major Scales!
Subscribe for updates, content & free resources!
What are the notes of the G Major scale?
The G major scale is starts on G and has one sharped note, F sharp. The notes of the G major scale are G, A, B, C, D, E, and F sharp. G major has the fewest sharps of all sharp key signatures, which are for keys that require one or more notes to be sharp.
Notice that the raised note is F sharp, the very last tone of the scale before the scale starts over on G. You’ll see this pattern continue as you go through all the sharp key signatures in order of increasing number of sharps, with the next one, the key of D, adding a C sharp (one note below D) to make two sharps, then the next one, the key of A, adding a G sharp (one note below A) to make three sharps, and so on.
How do you play the G major scale on piano?
Let’s start with the G major pentascale. For your right hand, place fingers like this:
1 on G
2 on A
3 on B
4 on C
5 on D
For your left hand, place fingers like this:
5 on G
4 on A
3 on B
2 on C
1 on D
Notice that when you play the G major pentascale, you don’t need to use any sharps. You won’t play the F sharp unless you’re playing the full scale.
To play the G major one octave scale, start with your fingers in the same position as the pentascale and play like this:
Right hand placement for the G major piano scale:
1 on G
2 on A
3 on B
Cross thumb under:
1 on C
2 on D
3 on E
4 on F sharp
5 on G
Left hand placement for the G major piano scale:
5 on G
4 on A
3 on B
2 on C
1 on D
Cross finger three over:
3 on E
2 on F sharp
1 on G
When coming down the scale, simply reverse the finger order like this:
Right hand:
5 on G
4 on F sharp
3 on E
2 on D
1 on C
Cross finger three over:
3 on B
2 on A
1 on G
Left hand:
1 on G
2 on F sharp
3 on E
Cross thumb under:
1 on D
2 on C
3 on B
4 on A
5 on G
It can be a little tricky to play one octave scales with hands together because the right hand and left hand are crossing fingers over and thumb under at different times. Here are a few ideas you can use to help you do this.
First, play each hand separately, very slowly, until you’re completely comfortable with the G major scale notes for one hand at a time. Only then should you try putting your right and left hands together.
Once you’re playing with both hands together, try singing or saying the letter names with reminders of when to cross over or under like this:
Going up: G, A, B, right C, D, left E, F sharp, G
Going down: G, F sharp, E, left D, C, right B, A, G
Instead of the words “right” and “left” you could also use “thumb” and “three.”
Going up: G, A, B, thumb C, D, three E, F sharp, G
Going down: G, F sharp, E, thumb D, C, three B, A, G
Try them both and see which one helps you the most! You can use tricks like this to help you play any scale with two hands, though the letter names, finger numbers, and the pattern of when to cross over and under will change depending on what scale you’re playing.
How do you tell the G major scale from the C major scale?
On the piano, playing the G major scale doesn’t feel that much different from the C major scale. The G major scale will use the exact same fingering as C major. The only difference is the one black key, F sharp, that’s added when going from C major to G major. Another important difference is that G major starts on the note G while C major starts on the note C.
If you’re transposing from the key of C to the key of G, you may notice that the sounds are either several notes lower or higher than they used to be. In fact, to transpose from C to G, you have to shift the entire melody line either five notes up or four notes down. It’s possible that if you were comfortable singing a song in the key of C, you’re not going to be so comfortable singing it in the key of G. On the other hand, if the key of C felt too low or too high for you, you can try transposing and singing it in G instead.
What chords can be used in the key of G major?
The three most common chords used with in key of G major are the I chord, or tonic, which is built on G, the IV chord, or subdominant, built on C, and the V chord, the dominant, built on D:
I chord (G major triad): G – B – D
IV chord (C major triad): C – E – G
V chord (D major triad): D – F sharp – A
Another chord you’ll see used a lot with the G major piano scale is the vi chord, the E minor chord, which is the tonic chord of the relative minor key, E minor:
vi chord (E minor triad): E – G – B
Other chords in G major include the ii chord, a minor chord built on A, the iii chord, another minor chord built on B, and the vii chord, a diminished chord built on F sharp.
ii chord (A minor triad): A – C – E
iii chord (B minor triad): B – D – F sharp
vii chord (F# diminished triad): F sharp – A – C
If you’d like some handy reference guides for chords and triads in all keys, download these free resources from the Hoffman Academy Store:
Examples of songs in the key of G major
One of the first classical pieces in G major that students often learn is Christian Petzold’s famous Minuet in G. You may also have heard this lovely Sonatina in G attributed to Beethoven.
Some of the many popular songs that have been recorded in the key of G include “A Hard Day’s Night” by the Beatles, “Part of Your World” from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and “Geronimo” by Sheppard. To hear these and more great songs in the key of G, listen to our Songs in G Major playlist on Spotify.
To learn more about all kinds of piano scales, check out our All Piano Scales Guide: Major, Minor & More!