Em chord (E minor)

The Em chord (E minor) has 3 notes: E, G and B. It is a minor chord: root, minor third and perfect fifth. It sounds darker and more intimate than major. It colours melancholy verses and ballads, and it is the vi chord of a major key.

How to play it on guitar

An x is a string you don't play and 0 is an open string. The number on the left is the fret where the shape starts.

Open
022000

Barre chord · fret 7
x79987

Barre chord · fret 9
(12)(10)99(12)x

Notes in the chord

Note	Interval
E	Root
G	Minor third
B	Perfect fifth

Inversions

Root position: E – G – B
First inversion: G – B – E
Second inversion: B – E – G

On piano

The highlighted keys make the chord in root position.

On ukulele

Usual shape
4432

Higher up the neck · fret 4
4777

Keys it belongs to

Em is one of the chords of these keys. The degree tells you its role.

Progressions to practise it

Open them in the chord progression player to loop them and write over them.

Em – C – G – D in E minor Play in the chord player
G – D – Em – C in G major Play in the chord player
Em – Am – B7 – Em in E minor Play in the chord player

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Em chord?

Em has 3 notes: E, G and B. It is a minor chord: root, minor third and perfect fifth.

How do you play Em on guitar?

The usual shape is 022000, read from the low E string to the high E string.

What keys is Em in?

Em is in C major (iii), D major (ii), G major (vi), E minor (i), A minor (v) and B minor (iv).

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