Open G minor chords: 5 shapes you need to know

John Renbourn performs on an acoustic guitar — (Image credit: David Redfern/Redferns/Getty Images)

For this open tuning lesson, we are going to take open G and turn it into a G minor version. To do this, tune into open G by dropping the sixth, fifth and first strings down a tone, then drop the second string down a semitone to a Bb – that’s the all-important minor 3rd in the key of G.

Though not as commonplace as its major counterpart, G minor tuning is used in many songs including John Renbourn’s The Mist Covered Mountains Of Home.

1. C/G

Open G min Chords — (Image credit: Future)

This first chord is a nice, easy fingering for C/G. Do your best not to accidentally mute the open third string.

2. F

The F chord is the fourth chord in the key of C, so this will go well in a progression with our C/G chord.

3. D

Play a first-finger barre, then use a spare finger to raise the minor 3rd to make a major chord in this minor tuning.

4. G

The G chord is the fifth chord of G major and completes our three-chord trick of C/G-F-G.

5. Cadd9/G

To finish off, it’s another great fingering. The Cadd9/G chord only requires two fingers and sounds ace.

Jon Bishop is a UK-based guitarist and freelance musician, and a longtime contributor to Guitar Techniques and Total Guitar. He's a graduate of the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford and is touring and recording guitarist for British rock 'n' roll royalty Shakin’ Stevens.