E Minor 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 Em — open string voicings
Em is E, G and B — E with the third lowered a semitone.
It sounds darker than a major triad, and just as settled. The i of a minor key, and the vi, ii or iii of a major one.
Em notes and formula
| E | G | B |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ♭3 | 5 |
Tonic — minor chords rest as readily as major ones.
Also written Emin, E- or E minor. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.
How to play Em
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.
Em has 6 of them, on the top four strings, the bottom four strings, the middle four strings, strings 6-4-3-2, strings 6-4-3-2-1 and strings 6-5-4-3-2, from the 2nd fret up to the 5th — all in one inversion, so the bass note never moves. The one to learn first is the E shape at the 2nd fret, which is the easiest grip here.
Start with 022000 — no barre and 4 open strings. 2 of the 10 shapes here sit in open position. 2 of the 10 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 2nd fret to the 14th.
| Frets | Where | Bass | Top | Hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 022000 | open position | E, root position | E | 4 open strings |
| 022453 | open position | E, root position | G | 1 open string |
| xx2453 | 2nd fret | E, root position | G | all fretted |
| xx5453 | 3rd fret | G, 1st inversion | G | all fretted |
| x7545x | 4th fret | E, root position | E | all fretted |
| x79987 | 7th fret | E, root position | B | all fretted |
| x-10-9-9-8-x | 8th fret | G, 1st inversion | G | all fretted |
| 12-10-9-9-x-12 | 9th fret | E, root position | E | all fretted |
| 12-14-14-12-12-12 | 12th fret | E, root position | E | barred |
| x-x-14-12-12-12 | 12th fret | E, root position | E | barred |
The same notes rebuilt from scratch give 48 triad voicings, each on its own page.
How to use Em
How you get to it. The turn that lands on Em is F#m7♭5 to B7♭9: the ii and the V of E minor, which is where a minor tonic is usually arrived at rather than simply begun on.
In which keys. Every note of Em belongs to C major (the iii), D major (the ii), E minor (the i), G major (the vi), A minor (the v) and B minor (the iv).
What to play over Em
Every note of Em is in E minor pentatonic, E blues, E dorian, E natural minor and E phrygian.
Chords near Em
Change one note of Em and you have E (the minor third becomes a major third), Edim (the fifth becomes a flat fifth), Esus2 (the minor third becomes a ninth), Esus4 (the minor third becomes a fourth), Em6 (add the sixth) or Em7 (add the flat seventh).
Em is a minor chord — root, minor third, fifth. Minor chords on every root.
On Em’s sound and use this page follows Edward Aldwell & Carl Schachter, Harmony and Voice Leading (Schirmer / Cengage, 4th ed., 2011). The shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.