Gb Chord, How to Play G Flat Chord on Guitar

You may feel surprised to find that you play the Gb chord the same way as the F# chord. So you might wonder why a musician would use Gb over F#. Here, we’ll cover the theory behind both and some extra positions to play the G flat guitar chord.

E-Shape Gb Chord

chart showing how to play the gb major guitar chord

Directions:

  • Bar down all the strings on the 2nd fret with your 1st finger. 
  • Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd fret, 3rd (G) string.
  • Put your 3rd and 4th finger on the 4th fret. 
  • Move your 3rd finger to string 5 (A), and the 4th finger to string 4 (D).

Since this starts at the 2nd fret of your guitar, it produces a deeper Gb chord sound. The next option will offer a higher-pitched version of G flat major.

Similar E-shape barre: The d flat minor chord on guitar

9th Fret Gb Chord Variation

Here’s another version a bit farther up on the neck of the guitar.

Directions:

  • Barre your 1st finger on the 9th fret, strings 1-5 (E to A).
  • Place your 2nd finger on the 11th fret, over string 4 (D).
  • Put your 3rd and 4th fingers on the 11th fret, as well. 3rd finger goes over string 3 (G), 4th finger over string 2 (B).
  • Strum the strings you’re holding.

Having difficulty with these charts? Be sure you’re reading guitar chord charts correctly!

Theory

The Gb and F# chords are enharmonic to each other, meaning they make the same noise on your guitar. 

However, different musicians will prefer one notation or another. Most guitarists find playing sharps like F# easier. But if you’re playing in an ensemble, Gb can be an easier note to memorize across instruments.

The G flat guitar chord consists of 3 notes: Gb, Bb, and Db. 

Compare that to a G chord, which uses G, B, and D. You also don’t want to confuse it with the G# minor chord, which uses G#, B, and D#.

In our F# article, we covered the E-shape and A-shape method. Here, we reviewed E-shape alongside another Gb chord option for different frets. Hopefully this was helpful and spices up some of your chords!

Try the minor version next: Gbm on guitar

Songs in Key of Gb (G Flat Major)

G flat guitar chord songs have been popular from decades ago to contemporary music. Here are 6 pieces you can try to practice the Gb chord:

  • Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz.
  • Beat It by Michael Jackson.
  • I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift.
  • All Star by Smash Mouth
  • Superstition by Stevie Wonder
  • Patience by Guns N’ Roses

If you want to see more G flat major chord variations, check out my F# guitar chord article. With both of these resources, you’ll find plenty of songs to choose from.

Try more chords:

C# major (C sharp guitar chord)

G# major (G sharp on guitar)

Fm on guitar (F minor)

A#m on guitar

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