Guitar · minor major seventh
G♯m(maj7) Chord on Guitar
G# Minor-Major 7th is G#, B, D#, F## — the 1-b3-5-7 pattern of a minor major seventh chord. Here is the shape, the audio, and what usually goes wrong.
There is no open G#m(maj7) on guitar — the single shape below is a barre, which is exactly why this chord trips people up. Take it slowly and check every string.
Start here — E Shape Barre (4th fret)
Barre at fret 4 — harder to hold than an open shape, but movable: slide it and you have every other minor major seventh chord.
What beginners get wrong
Moving in and out of it
The shape above: E Shape Barre (4th fret) — barred at fret 4.
Listening: each shape above has its own play button, and each one plays the notes that shape actually produces — not a generic triad.
G#m(maj7) on other instruments
Same notes, different hands. Every link below is a real page with diagrams and audio.
Chords next door
Same root, different colour — and all of them playable on guitar.
G#m(maj7) on Guitar — questions people ask
What is the easiest way to play G#m(maj7) on guitar?
“E Shape Barre (4th fret)” — which we rate advanced — is the easiest G#m(maj7) shape on guitar. Barre at fret 4 — harder to hold than an open shape, but movable: slide it and you have every other minor major seventh chord. There is no open G#m(maj7) on guitar, so a barre is unavoidable; this is the least demanding one.
What notes are in the G# Minor-Major 7th chord?
G# Minor-Major 7th is G#, B, D#, F## — the 1-b3-5-7 interval pattern of a minor major seventh chord. Every voicing on this page uses those notes and nothing else; they just appear in a different order and octave.
What can I play instead of G#m(maj7)?
The nearest stand-ins on guitar that keep the same root are G#m, G#m7, G#dim. They keep the root and the fifth and only change what sits in the middle, so most songs still work — but check the swap against the melody, because the note you removed may be the one the tune is singing.
Can I play G#m(maj7) on other instruments?
Yes. G#m(maj7) is the same set of notes everywhere; only the fingering changes. This site has diagrams and audio for it on piano, ukulele, mandolin, banjo.
Learn the theory behind G#m(maj7)
The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.
Barre Chords — The Wall Every Guitarist Climbs
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