E Major guitar chord
An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful.
- Tap a note to hear it
- Arrows change position
- Fingers, notes or intervals
- Play the chord
About E — open string voicings
E is E, G# and B.
It sounds plain and completely at rest. The reference every other chord on this page is a modification of.
Tonic — the chord a progression stops on.
E notes and formula
| E | G# | B |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 5 |
Also written Emaj, EM or E major. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.
How to play E
An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. It costs no finger, so it can sound a note the closed shape has none left for: a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath.
These belong to their key rather than to a shape: they cannot be moved up the neck. D, A, G and E have many; E♭ has a handful.
E has 2 of them, on strings 6-4-3-2 and the top four strings, all of them at the 4th fret — every inversion the chord has: E in the bass and G# in the bass. The one to learn first is the G# shape at the 4th fret, which is the easiest grip here.
All 7 common shapes as fret numbers, lowest string first. Hover or tap one to see it drawn.
- 022100, open position, E, root position, top note E, 3 open strings
- xx2454, 2nd fret, E, root position, top note G#, all fretted
- x76454, 4th fret, E, root position, top note G#, all fretted
- x79997, 7th fret, E, root position, top note B, barred
- 12-11-9-9-9-12, 9th fret, E, root position, top note E, barred
- x-x-9-9-9-12, 9th fret, B, 2nd inversion, top note E, barred
- 12-14-14-13-12-12, 12th fret, E, root position, top note E, barred
How to use E
How you get to it. The turn that lands on E is F#m7 to B7 — the ii and the V of E — and B7 shares its third and seventh with F#m7, so the hand barely moves between them.
In which keys. Every note of E belongs to C# minor (the ♭III), E major (the I), F# minor (the ♭VII), Ab minor (the ♭VI), A major (the V) and B major (the IV).
What to play over E
Every note of E is in E major pentatonic, E major, E lydian, E mixolydian and E lydian dominant.
Chords near E
Change one note of E and you have Em (the major third becomes the minor third), Esus2 (the major third becomes the second), Esus4 (the major third becomes the fourth), Emaj7 (add the major seventh), Eadd9 (add the ninth) or E5 (drop the major third).
E is a major chord — root, major third, fifth. Major chords on every root.
The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in how this site is built.