Why does G minor use an open G string?

Because the open G string's natural pitch is already the chord's root, so leaving it unfretted keeps the note for free while the other three fingers build the rest of the triad above it.

How is G minor used in songs written in G major?

Most often as a borrowed parallel-minor chord — a brief modal-mixture detour from G major's brightness before the progression returns to the plain major tonic.

What's the easiest way to switch between G major and G minor?

Since only one note differs between the two triads, practice the change slowly and listen for that single note (B moving to Bb) rather than relearning the whole hand shape from scratch.

Does G minor appear outside the key of G?

Yes — as the ii chord in F major and as a borrowed iv chord in D major, both contexts common enough on ukulele that this shape turns up well beyond its home key.

Why does the E string fret a doubled root rather than a different chord tone?

With only four strings available for a three-note triad, one note has to repeat somewhere, and doubling the root at the third fret of the E string was the closest available option to the open-string voicing already established on the G, C, and A strings.

← Ukulele Chords

Gm Chord on Ukulele

Gm = G – A# – D (Root, Minor 3rd, Perfect 5th)

G minor's open-position shape keeps the ukulele's favorite root note anchored to an open string while stacking the rest of the triad above it: the G string rings open for the root, the C string frets at the second fret for the fifth (D), the E string frets at the third fret for a doubled root an octave higher, and the A string frets at the first fret for the minor third (Bb). Three fingers land inside a compact window from the first to the third fret, which makes this a natural next step once the one-finger C, Am, and F shapes stop feeling like enough of a challenge. Because the G string stays open, the chord keeps a real ring underneath its two fretted upper notes, a different feel from a fully closed shape where every string gets pressed.

G major is arguably the most-played key on ukulele after C, so G minor's most common job is as a borrowed color chord inside that same key — the modal-mixture move of darkening the I chord to its parallel minor for a few bars before returning to the bright major tonic, a trick folk and singer-songwriter arrangements reach for when a lyric turns wistful mid-song. Away from that borrowing role, G minor is also the ii chord of F major, useful in any arrangement built around F's I-IV-V (F, Bb, C) that wants a minor-flavored detour, and it functions as a borrowed iv chord inside D major, standing in for the diatonic D minor that D major's own key signature doesn't naturally contain. Compared to F# minor's fully closed voicing covered elsewhere on this site, G minor's open G string gives it noticeably more sustain and resonance despite the two chords sharing a near-identical hand shape one fret apart. Because the E string's doubled root sits an octave above the open G string, the chord also carries a wide, spread-out register that some closer-voiced minor shapes on this instrument don't have.

Fingerings

Open Position

How to Practice It

Land the A string's first-fret note with the index finger, the C string's second-fret note with the middle finger, and the E string's third-fret note with the ring finger, checking that the open G string isn't accidentally muted by the heel of the hand as it reaches across. Because this shape sits so close to plain G major's own two-finger open voicing, practice switching directly between the two, listening for exactly which note changes (the third moving between B and Bb) rather than treating them as unrelated shapes. A useful context drill is a short G-to-Gm-to-G loop over four counts each, which mimics how the borrowed-minor move actually gets used in real arrangements — a brief visit, then a return home. Once that switch is comfortable, try approaching Gm from F major as well, since the ii-chord relationship between the two comes up often enough to be worth its own dedicated practice pass.

Common Progressions

I – i (G – Gm), a modal-mixture darkening move within G major
ii – V – I in F major (Gm – C7 – F)
iv – I, using Gm as a borrowed chord in D major (Gm – D)
i – iv – v in G minor's own key (Gm – Cm – Dm)

FAQ

Why does G minor use an open G string?: Because the open G string's natural pitch is already the chord's root, so leaving it unfretted keeps the note for free while the other three fingers build the rest of the triad above it.
How is G minor used in songs written in G major?: Most often as a borrowed parallel-minor chord — a brief modal-mixture detour from G major's brightness before the progression returns to the plain major tonic.
What's the easiest way to switch between G major and G minor?: Since only one note differs between the two triads, practice the change slowly and listen for that single note (B moving to Bb) rather than relearning the whole hand shape from scratch.
Does G minor appear outside the key of G?: Yes — as the ii chord in F major and as a borrowed iv chord in D major, both contexts common enough on ukulele that this shape turns up well beyond its home key.
Why does the E string fret a doubled root rather than a different chord tone?: With only four strings available for a three-note triad, one note has to repeat somewhere, and doubling the root at the third fret of the E string was the closest available option to the open-string voicing already established on the G, C, and A strings.

Gm on other instruments: Gm on Guitar, Gm on Piano. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.