G minor is a minor scale based on G.
Its relative major is B-flat major. G minor is one of two flat key signatures that needs a sharp for the seventh note (the other is D minor).
During the Baroque period, music in G minor was usually written with a one-flat key signature.
Mozart's use of G Minor
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart thought that G minor was the most suitable key for showing sadness and tragedy, and many of his minor key works are in G minor, such as the Piano Quartet No. 1 and the String Quintet in G minor. G minor is the only minor key he used as a main key for his numbered symphonies (No. 25, and the famous No. 40). In the Classical period, symphonies in G minor almost always used four horns, two in G and two in B-flat alto. G minor symphonies like Mozart's No. 25 often used E flat major for the slow movement, including Haydn's No. 39 and Vanhal's G minor symphony from before 1771 (Bryan Gm1).
Famous classical music in G minor
See also: List of symphonies in G minor.
Variations
There are many variations of G minor.
| Variation |
Description |
| G minor 7th |
a g minor chord containing G, Bb/A#, D, and F |
| G minor major 7th |
a G minor chord with a Major 7th. |
| G minor major |
a combination of G minor and G major. |
| G minor 6th |
a G minor chord with a Major 6th. |
| G minor 9th |
G minor 7th containing A. |
| G minor 2nd |
a G minor with Ab or G#. |
| G augmented minor |
the augmented version of G minor. |
| G diminished |
has C#/Db instead of D. |
| G minor 7th-5 |
G diminished with minor 7th. |
| G diminished 7th |
a G diminished with a major 6th. |
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Diatonic Scales and Keys |
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| The table shows the number of sharps or flats in each scale. Minor scales are written in lower case. |
See also
In Spanish: Sol menor para niños
