G major is the first chord most Venezuelan cuatro players learn, and for a reason: it sits under the fingers in first position, it is the home key of a huge part of the songbook, and once you own it you can hear every other chord as a departure from it.
The shape: 2.0.1.0
Read the code from the fourth string (floor) to the first string (ceiling). A number is the fret. A zero is open.
- Fourth string: 2nd fret (middle finger)
- Third string: open
- Second string: 1st fret (index)
- First string: open
In dotted code: 2.0.1.0.
The notes under that shape are B, D, G, and B. Three of those are the G major triad (G, B, D). The extra B is the doubling that makes the chord feel like home.
How to put it down
- Tune first. G major out of tune is just a rumor of G. See how to tune the cuatro.
- Plant the index on the second string, first fret. Close to the fret wire, not in the middle of the cell.
- Plant the middle finger on the fourth string, second fret. Same rule: close to the wire.
- Leave the third and first strings open. Do not mute them with the underside of a finger.
- Strum all four. Listen. If one string is dead, lift the finger that is touching it by accident. Do not press harder everywhere.
What good sounds like
Four strings, one event. No buzz on the second string (index too far from the fret). No thud on the fourth (middle finger flat). No choke on the open first string (the side of the index creeping over).
Play it four times. Then take the hand off and put it back. The chord is not yours until the second landing is as clean as the first.
A small twist once it is clean
Keep the G shape. Add the pinky on the third string, third fret, then take it off. That extra note is how a lot of accompaniment starts to sound like music instead of a block.
Where it lives in a song
In the key of G, this shape is the tonic: the place the phrase wants to return. The next two chords you will want are C and D (or D7). That is the I-IV-V family in G, and it covers more traditional repertoire than any other three shapes.
If you already know the natural notes, you can find the same G, B, and D in other places on the neck. First position is still the one to make automatic.
What to do next
Keep going. Free, and with a teacher if you want one.
The course version of this lesson has video on the hand, the next chord, and a song that uses both. Create a free account. If you want a musician watching the landing, book a live class.
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