Which notes are in the Em chord?

Em contains the notes E, G and B. Relative to the root these are the degrees 1 – ♭3 – 5.

How many ways can you play Em?

Minory lists 2 guitar fingerings for Em, 1 of which is a barre shape. They all produce the same chord — what changes is the voicing and where it sits on the neck.

Is the Em chord hard to play?

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

E minor · Guitar

Em Chord on Guitar

The Em chord (E minor) is built from the notes E, G and B. 2 different guitar fingerings for it are shown below.

Chord diagrams

Position 1open position

Fingering

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

Position 2barre 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 9 — little finger
string 2 (B): fret 8 — middle finger
string 1 (E): fret 7 — index finger

Notes in this chord

Degrees: 1 – ♭3 – 5

How to play

Em has 1 open position and 1 barre shape. 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

Minor chords sound darker than major ones because the third is lowered by a semitone. They carry the melancholic colour in most songs and pair naturally with their relative major. On Em this structure sits on the root E, so the degrees 1 – ♭3 – 5 map onto E, G and B. Em is the vi chord in the key of G major, the ii chord in D major and the iii chord in C major. Its relative major is G. It is often heard in the Em – C – G – D progression.

Frequently asked questions

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

Practise Em on your phone

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