Chords
G# Major
G# · B# · D#
The major triad — a root, a major third and a perfect fifth. The most stable chord in Western music.
Also written G#M · G#^ · G#maj
G# Major
G# · B# · D#
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | G#3 · B#4 · D#4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
G# Major (G#) contains the notes G# · B# · D#, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built
Inversions
An inversion of G# Major puts a chord tone other than G# in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales G# Major belongs to.
In which keys
G# Major is diatonic to 7 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
G# Major fits inside these scales, each built on G#.
- G# Major PentatonicG# · A# · B# · D# · E#
- G# Major BluesG# · A# · B · B# · D# · E#
- G# MixolydianG# · A# · B# · C# · D# · E# · F#
- G# Phrygian DominantG# · A · B# · C# · D# · E · F#
- G# Mixolydian PentatonicG# · B# · C# · D# · F#
- G# Flat Six PentatonicG# · A# · B# · D# · E
- G# ScriabinG# · A · B# · D# · E#
- G# Mixolydian b6G# · A# · B# · C# · D# · E · F#
Understanding the G# Major chord
Names and symbols
G# is the chord symbol for G# Major; it is also written G#M, G#^, G#maj.
G# Major and Ab Major are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. Ab Major
How it is built
On G# the major triad is G# · B# · D#, stacking the intervals 1P · 3M · 5P. The major third makes it sound bright; the perfect fifth makes it sound settled.
Change only the third and the chord turns minor. Everything the ear reads as "happy" or "sad" in a plain triad lives in that one note.
How it is used
It is the I chord of its own key and the tonic almost every progression eventually returns to. It also appears as the IV and V of its key, which is why three major triads are enough for a large share of folk, country and rock.
Inverted, it keeps its identity completely — G# with the third or fifth in the bass is still G#, just voiced to smooth the bass line.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in G#?
- G# contains G# · B# · D#. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- How do you build a major chord?
- Stack a major third and then a minor third above the root — or equivalently, take the first, third and fifth degrees of the major scale.
- What is the difference between G# and a minor chord on the same root?
- One note. Lower the third by a semitone and the major triad becomes minor; nothing else changes.
- What notes are in the G# Major chord?
- The G# Major chord contains the notes G# · B# · D#: the root G# with the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally G#, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the G# Major chord?
- Measured from G#, the G# Major chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3M, 5P. The quality of the third and of the seventh, if there is one, is what gives the chord its character; the rest of the notes colour it. Every interval in the formula links to its own page, with its sound.