In this paper a new method for the parameterization of general type-2 fuzzy membership functions. The proposed method describes the methodology, equations and pseudo-code for building a set of general type-2 membership functions, which are a combination of two Gaussian-type primary membership functions (Gaussian with uncertain mean, and Gaussian with uncertain standard deviation), with multiple combinations of secondary membership functions (Gaussian, double Gaussian, general bell and trapezoidal). In addition, several application cases are used to illustrate the advantages of the proposed parameterization of general type-2 fuzzy sets; where the membership functions are designed using the parameterization approach and the general type-2 inference system is approximated using the α-planes theory. Simulation results illustrate that the parameterization offers an efficient way to represent these fuzzy sets. The main idea of the approach is to facilitate the use of general type-2 fuzzy systems in real world applications. The main contribution is a proposed new form of parameterizing general type-2 fuzzy sets that simplifies the efficient design of this type of sets.