Triads
E minor chord
Darker and more melancholy than major, but just as stable.
Em is the ii chord in D major, iii in C major and vi in G major. In minor keys: i in E minor and iv in B minor.
- Notes
- EGB
- Formula
- 1♭35
- Built from
- root · minor 3rd · perfect 5th
How to play Em
About the E minor chord
E minor is arguably the easiest chord on guitar and one of the most used — the relative minor of G major and the home key of countless rock, folk and metal songs.
Playing it
On guitar, Em is one of the friendlier shapes: 022000 needs just two fingers and lets the open strings ring.
On piano, Em sits entirely on white keys.
On ukulele the usual Em shape is 0402, using two fingers.
Related chords
Em shares two of its three notes with G (G and B), its relative major, and with C (E and G). That overlap is why these chords sound so natural next to each other — and why they can often stand in for one another.
Move a single note and Em becomes a different chord: raise G to G♯ for E, add D for Em7, swap G for A for Esus4 and lower G to F♯ for Esus2.
Where you’ll hear it
You’ll find Em in common progressions such as Em–C–G–D (the minor-feel pop progression in G major), Em–Am–B–Em (the minor cadence in E minor) and Em–D–C–B (the Andalusian cadence in E minor).
