Guitar chord · Sevenths
E minor 7th chord on guitar
020000 · Open position
All 6 shapes, tab & fingering ↓
6 ways to play Em7 on guitar, with finger positions, tabs and step-by-step instructions.
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
Guitar
Standard tuning (E A D G B E) · 6 voicings · E string on the left · Other tunings →
How to play it · Open position
- 6th string (low E): play open E
- 5th string (A): 2nd fret, index finger (1) B
- 4th string (D): play open D
- 3rd string (G): play open G
- 2nd string (B): play open B
- 1st string (high E): play open E
Tablature
e|--0---| B|--0---| G|--0---| D|--0---| A|--2---| E|--0---|
Top line is the high E string. x = don’t play, 0 = open string.
Every Em7 note on the guitar neck
Bright dots are the selected voicing — the rest are other places you can find the same chord tones.
Tips for playing Em7 on guitar
Either lift a finger from Em (020000) or add your pinky on the B string’s 3rd fret (022030).
You’ll find Em7 in common progressions such as Em7–A7–Dmaj7 (the jazz cadence in D major).
