The Key of E Major for Guitar
The key of E major has the notes E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D♯, 4 sharps (F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯), and its relative minor is C♯ minor.
- Chords
- E F♯m G♯m A B C♯m D♯dim
- Main three
- E A B
- Key signature of E major
- 4 sharps (F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯)
Chords in the key
Chords in E major · moved from E major · · tap to hear1 home chord of the key
35 on the 3rd and 5th
2 other degrees
Now sounding
Key · Capo
Showing: E major (page key)No capo: you play E major shapes as written.
Fretboard · E major scale
Tap a dot to hear it; it lights amber while it sounds. Brightest dot = 1, the root (E). Lighter grey = 3 and 5. High e on top, frets 0 to 12, no capo. Swipe the board sideways for frets 7 to 12.
Progression · I–IV–V–I
Stopped. Four beats per chord, strum D D U D.
Chords in E major, with notes
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I | E | E G♯ B |
| ii | F♯m | F♯ A C♯ |
| iii | G♯m | G♯ B D♯ |
| IV | A | A C♯ E |
| V | B | B D♯ F♯ |
| vi | C♯m | C♯ E G♯ |
| vii° | D♯dim | D♯ F♯ A |
Seventh chords in E major
Add the next scale note a third above each triad and you get the four-note seventh chords of the key.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | Emaj7 | E G♯ B D♯ |
| ii7 | F♯m7 | F♯ A C♯ E |
| iii7 | G♯m7 | G♯ B D♯ F♯ |
| IVmaj7 | Amaj7 | A C♯ E G♯ |
| V7 | B7 | B D♯ F♯ A |
| vi7 | C♯m7 | C♯ E G♯ B |
| viiø7 | D♯m7♭5 | D♯ F♯ A C♯ |
Shapes for the 7th chords of E major: B7 chord.
Shapes and voicings for every chord: chord directory.
Why E major has 4 sharps (F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯)
Every major scale uses the same step pattern: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. Start that pattern on E and the notes land on E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D♯, so the key needs F♯, C♯, G♯ and D♯. On one string a whole step is two frets and a half step is one fret, up to the octave at fret 12.
E major scale in first position
Every note of E major in frets 0 to 4. Play one finger per fret: fret 1 = finger 1, fret 2 = finger 2, fret 3 = finger 3, fret 4 = finger 4, open strings need no finger. Start on the lowest root, E on the 6th string, open, and play up string by string.
Tap a dot to hear it. High e on top; the brightest dot is the root.
Past fret 4: E major scale in every position up the neck, with play-along and a root drone. Pentatonic, blues and the modes work over these chords too: see all guitar scales.
Playing in E on guitar
The open low E string is the root of the key and the lowest note on a standard-tuned guitar, which makes E a natural home for riffs and blues licks. Four of the six open strings are in the scale: both E strings, A and B. The open D and G strings are not (the key has D♯ and G♯).
E and A are the only open chords among the seven. B is a barre at fret 2, so in blues and folk it is often played as the open B7 (x 2 1 2 0 2), which also pulls harder back to E. F♯m, G♯m and C♯m are barre chords.
Esus4 (0 2 2 2 0 0) and back to E is a one-finger move, and the E5 power chord (0 2 2 x x x) is the starting shape for rock riffs in E. On the twelfth fret the open-string pattern repeats, so riffs can move up an octave without new shapes.
Common progressions in E major
| Degrees | Chords | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| I–IV–V–I | E A B E | E A B E: the blues and rock base in E. Play B as B7 (x 2 1 2 0 2) and every chord stays open. |
| I–V–vi–IV | E B C♯m A | E B C♯m A has two barre chords; with capo 4 the same loop is played with the C G Am F shapes. |
| vi–IV–I–V | C♯m A E B | C♯m A E B: the pop loop from the relative minor, C♯m. |
| I–vi–IV–V | E C♯m A B | E C♯m A B: the 1950s loop, with the open low E string under the home chord. |
| ii–V–I | F♯m B E E | F♯m B E: a ii–V–I that lands on the full six-string open E chord. |
Pick one in the player above and press Play to strum along, four beats per chord.
Capo and E major
Capo 2 with D shapes, capo 4 with C shapes and capo 7 with A shapes all sound in E. Capo 4 with C shapes is the easy route for songs in E that use C♯m and B, since they become Am and G.
| Capo | E shapes sound in |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | F major |
| Fret 2 | F♯ major |
| Fret 3 | G major |
| Fret 4 | A♭ major |
| Fret 5 | A major |
| Fret 6 | B♭ major |
| Fret 7 | B major |
Song in another key? Capo for E major songs: the capo fret and easier shapes, or any other key.
New to the capo? How to use a capo: where to clamp it and why the same shapes sound in a new key.
Relative minor: C♯ minor
C♯ minor uses the same seven notes, starting on C♯, the 6th note of the scale. Its chord is the vi in the row above. Songs often move between the two keys without changing a single chord shape.
Have a recording and no idea what key it is in? Find the key of a song from the audio file or by letting it listen; it also gives the chords to play and the easiest capo.
Related keys
- The key of C♯ minorrelative
- The key of E minorparallel
- The key of A majorcircle, one step left
- The key of B majorcircle, one step right
See how every key connects: interactive circle of fifths.
FAQ about E major
What chords are in the key of E major?
E, F♯m, G♯m, A, B, C♯m and D♯dim. E (I), A (IV) and B (V) are the main three; only E and A are open chords.
How do I play the B chord in E major without a barre?
Use B7 (x 2 1 2 0 2). It has the same root and the dominant seventh pulls back to E, so it fits blues, folk and country songs in E.
Why is E a good key for guitar riffs?
The open low E string is the lowest note in standard tuning and the root of E. Riffs can ring the open string between fretted notes with no stretch.
What is the relative minor of E major?
C♯ minor, with the same four sharps. With capo 4, C♯m is played with the open Am shape.
Next steps in E major
- Progressions in E majorgenerate, hear and loop chord progressions in this key
- E major pentatonicfive notes for melodies and fills
- Open E (EBEG♯BE)the open strings ring an E chord
- Guitar tunertune up before you play along