Which notes are in the Emaj7 chord?

Emaj7 contains the notes E, G#, B and D#. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – 3 – 5 – 7.

How many ways can you play Emaj7?

Minory lists 3 guitar fingerings for Emaj7, 2 of which are barre shapes. They all produce the same chord — what changes is the voicing and where it sits on the neck.

Is the Emaj7 chord hard to play?

Not really. The open position of Emaj7 uses open strings and needs no barre, which makes it approachable for beginners.

E major 7th · Guitar

Emaj7 Chord on Guitar

The Emaj7 chord (E major 7th) is built from the notes E, G#, B and D#. 3 different guitar fingerings for it are shown below.

Chord diagrams

Position 1open position

Fingering

string 6 (E): played open
string 5 (A): fret 2 — ring finger
string 4 (D): fret 1 — index finger
string 3 (G): fret 1 — middle finger
string 2 (B): played open
string 1 (E): muted

Position 2barre shape · starts at fret 4

Fingering

string 6 (E): muted
string 5 (A): fret 7 — little finger
string 4 (D): fret 6 — ring finger
string 3 (G): fret 4 — index finger
string 2 (B): fret 4 — index finger
string 1 (E): fret 4 — index finger

Position 3barre shape · starts at fret 7

Fingering

string 6 (E): muted
string 5 (A): fret 7 — index finger
string 4 (D): fret 9 — ring finger
string 3 (G): fret 8 — middle finger
string 2 (B): fret 9 — little finger
string 1 (E): fret 7 — index finger

Notes in this chord

E
G♯
B
D♯

Degrees: 1 – 3 – 5 – 7

How to play

Emaj7 has 1 open position and 2 barre shapes. Start with the open voicing if you are new to it; the barre shapes exist to move the same chord further up the neck without changing the key.

Theory behind the chord

Major seventh chords keep the bright major triad but add the leading tone a semitone below the root. The result is the soft, floating sound heard throughout bossa nova, soul and neo-soul. On Emaj7 this structure sits on the root E, so the degrees 1 – 3 – 5 – 7 map onto E, G#, B and D#.

Frequently asked questions

Which notes are in the Emaj7 chord?: Emaj7 contains the notes E, G#, B and D#. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – 3 – 5 – 7.
How many ways can you play Emaj7?: Minory lists 3 guitar fingerings for Emaj7, 2 of which are barre shapes. They all produce the same chord — what changes is the voicing and where it sits on the neck.
Is the Emaj7 chord hard to play?: Not really. The open position of Emaj7 uses open strings and needs no barre, which makes it approachable for beginners.

Practise Emaj7 on your phone

Minory bundles the full chord library with a tuner, metronome and repertoire notebook — and it all works offline.