Learn › G Minor Triad Inversions on Guitar: 12 Shapes
New Released in April 2026
G Minor Triad Inversions on Guitar: 12 Shapes
Learn the Gm triad inversions on guitar and you can play G minor in any area of the neck with three fingers: G, Bb and D, rearranged.
No account, no download. The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.
- MIDI keyboard
- Digital or acoustic piano
- Guitar
- Computer, phone or tablet
What an inversion changes
An inversion just reorders G, Bb and D. Bottom note G: root position. Bottom note Bb: 1st inversion. Bottom note D: 2nd inversion.
Darker than major: the middle note of the major shape moves down one fret.
Connecting the inversions
Climbing the G-B-e strings: 1st inversion (fret 3) → 2nd inversion (fret 8) → root position (fret 12). Listen to the top note, G, Bb, D: it is a little melody inside one chord.
Around fret 8, without moving the hand: G-B-e strings 7-8-6; D-G-B strings 8-7-8; A-D-G strings 10-8-7; E-A-D strings 6-5-5.
Gm on each string set
Play only the three strings shown. Inside each set the three shapes follow each other up the neck: when one ends, the next begins.
G-B-e strings
1st inversion
2nd inversion
Root position
D-G-B strings
Root position
1st inversion
2nd inversion
A-D-G strings
1st inversion
2nd inversion
Root position
E-A-D strings
Root position
1st inversion
2nd inversion
Practise Gm triads in four steps
- Learn the three shapes on the top strings first, slowly, saying the bottom note each time.
- Connect the shapes up and down the G-B-e strings, four strums per shape.
- Stay near fret 8 and find Gm on two different string sets.
- Last, switch between Gm and another triad in the same area of the neck.
Learn one string set per week and in a month the whole neck is yours.
Gm inversions: the frets
| String set | Root position | 1st inversion | 2nd inversion |
|---|---|---|---|
| G-B-e strings | x x x 12 11 10 | x x x 3 3 3 | x x x 7 8 6 |
| D-G-B strings | x x 5 3 3 x | x x 8 7 8 x | x x 12 12 11 x |
| A-D-G strings | x 10 8 7 x x | x 1 0 0 x x | x 5 5 3 x x |
| E-A-D strings | 3 1 0 x x x | 6 5 5 x x x | 10 10 8 x x x |
Frets from the low E string to the high E string; x = string not played.
Play Gm in a game
In ChordRunner chord names come one after another and the microphone checks every chord you play, open shape, barre or triad. It runs in the browser.
Play the demoCommon questions
How do you play Gm triads on the top strings?
On the G, B and high E strings: 1st inversion 3-3-3; 2nd inversion 7-8-6; Root position 12-11-10. Play only those three strings.
Why learn triad inversions on guitar?
They let you play Gm in any area of the neck with three fingers, so chord changes stay close and the top note can follow a melody.
What does a Gm triad sound like?
Darker than major: the middle note of the major shape moves down one fret.
Can I practise Gm with a game that listens to my guitar?
Yes. ChordRunner hears your guitar through the microphone and checks the chord in any shape or inversion. A USB MIDI keyboard works too.
Your instrument is the controller.
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.
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