Sevenths
E minor 7th chord
Smooth and soulful; a staple of jazz, R&B and funk.
Em7 is the ii7 chord in D major, iii7 in C major and vi7 in G major. In minor keys: i7 in E minor and iv7 in B minor.
- Notes
- EGBD
- Formula
- 1♭35♭7
- Built from
- root · minor 3rd · perfect 5th · minor 7th
How to play Em7
About the E minor 7th chord
Em7 is one of the easiest and most useful chords on guitar — softer than E minor, and a natural partner for G, C and D.
Playing it
On guitar, Em7 is one of the friendlier shapes: 020000 needs just one finger and lets the open strings ring.
On piano, Em7 sits entirely on white keys.
On ukulele the usual Em7 shape is 0202, using two fingers.
Related chords
Take away the root and the other three notes form G (G B D) — so you can think of Em7 as G with E added underneath.
Em7 contains exactly the same notes as G6. Which name fits depends on which note is in the bass and what key you’re in.
Move a single note and Em7 becomes a different chord: drop the D for Em, raise G to G♯ for E7, lower D to C♯ for Em6 and swap G for A for E7sus4.
Where you’ll hear it
You’ll find Em7 in common progressions such as Em7–A7–Dmaj7 (the jazz cadence in D major).
