The Key of E Minor for Guitar
The key of E minor has the notes E F♯ G A B C D, 1 sharp (F♯), and its relative major is G major.
- Chords
- Em F♯dim G Am Bm C D
- Main three
- Em Am Bm
- Key signature of E minor
- 1 sharp (F♯)
Chords in the key
Chords in E minor · moved from E minor · · tap to hear1 home chord of the key
35 on the 3rd and 5th
2 other degrees
Now sounding
Key · Capo
Showing: E minor (page key)No capo: you play E minor shapes as written.
Fretboard · E minor 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–VI–III–VII
Stopped. Four beats per chord, strum D D U D.
Chords in E minor, with notes
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i | Em | E G B |
| ii° | F♯dim | F♯ A C |
| III | G | G B D |
| iv | Am | A C E |
| v | Bm | B D F♯ |
| VI | C | C E G |
| VII | D | D F♯ A |
Seventh chords in E minor
Add the next scale note a third above each triad and you get the four-note seventh chords of the key.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i7 | Em7 | E G B D |
| iiø7 | F♯m7♭5 | F♯ A C E |
| IIImaj7 | Gmaj7 | G B D F♯ |
| iv7 | Am7 | A C E G |
| v7 | Bm7 | B D F♯ A |
| VImaj7 | Cmaj7 | C E G B |
| VII7 | D7 | D F♯ A C |
Shapes for the 7th chords of E minor: B7 chord, Em7 chord, Am7 chord and Cmaj7 chord.
Shapes and voicings for every chord: chord directory.
Why E minor has 1 sharp (F♯)
Every minor scale uses the same step pattern: whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole. Start that pattern on E and the notes land on E F♯ G A B C D, so the key needs F♯. On one string a whole step is two frets and a half step is one fret, up to the octave at fret 12.
E minor scale in first position
Every note of E minor 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 minor 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 minor on guitar
Em is the easiest chord on the guitar, two fingers on fret 2, and its root is the open low E string. The key has a single sharp, F♯, and all six open strings are in the scale, so open strings can ring under almost any chord or riff in E minor.
Em, G, Am, C and D are open chords. Bm is the barre; the four-string Bm (x x 4 4 3 2) works until the full barre is clean, and in folk and blues songs B7 (x 2 1 2 0 2) often replaces it. F♯dim is rare in songs.
Because the low E string is the root, single-note riffs in E minor can drop to the open string between fretted notes at any speed; this is why so many rock and metal riffs sit in E minor. The E minor pentatonic scale at the nut uses only frets 0, 2 and 3. Cmaj7 (x 3 2 0 0 0) and Em7 give the key its open, ringing acoustic colour.
Common progressions in E minor
| Degrees | Chords | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| i–VI–III–VII | Em C G D | Em C G D: four open chords and the most common minor-key loop on acoustic guitar. |
| i–iv–v–i | Em Am Bm Em | Em Am Bm Em: Bm is the one barre; play B7 (x 2 1 2 0 2) in its place for a stronger pull home. |
| i–VII–VI–VII | Em D C D | Em D C D: the bass steps down E, D, C, a rock and folk-rock loop with every chord open. |
| i–iv–VII–III | Em Am D G | Em Am D G: the chords move round the circle of fifths and land on G, the relative major. |
Pick one in the player above and press Play to strum along, four beats per chord.
Capo and E minor
E minor is already open, so the capo is mostly used to move it: Em shapes with capo 2 sound in F♯ minor, with capo 5 in A minor. To sound in E minor with other shapes, capo 2 with Dm shapes or capo 7 with Am shapes.
| Capo | Em shapes sound in |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | F minor |
| Fret 2 | F♯ minor |
| Fret 3 | G minor |
| Fret 4 | G♯ minor |
| Fret 5 | A minor |
| Fret 6 | B♭ minor |
| Fret 7 | B minor |
Song in another key? Capo for E minor 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 major: G major
G major uses the same seven notes, starting on G, the 3rd note of the scale. Its chord is the III in the row above. Songs often move between the two keys without changing a single chord shape.
Songs in E minor
- Nothing Else Matters · Metallica
Recorded in E minor. The intro is built on the open strings of the Em chord, no capo.
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 G majorrelative
- The key of E majorparallel
- The key of A minorcircle, one step left
- The key of B minorcircle, one step right
See how every key connects: interactive circle of fifths.
FAQ about E minor
What chords are in the key of E minor?
Em, F♯dim, G, Am, Bm, C and D. Em (i), Am (iv) and Bm (v) are the minor chords; G, C and D are shared with G major.
Why is E minor so common on guitar?
Its root is the lowest open string and every open string is in the scale, so chords ring fully and riffs can use the open low E between fretted notes.
How do I play Bm in E minor without a barre?
Use the four-string Bm (x x 4 4 3 2), or swap it for B7 (x 2 1 2 0 2). B7 has D♯, which pulls up to E and makes the return to Em stronger.
What is the relative major of E minor?
G major, with the same single sharp. E minor songs often move to G and back without any new chord shapes.
Next steps in E minor
- Progressions in E minorgenerate, hear and loop chord progressions in this key
- E minor pentatonicthe five-note soloing scale
- E harmonic minorraised 7th: where the major V chord comes from
- Guitar tunertune up before you play along