Guitar chord · Triads
E minor chord on guitar
022000 · Open position
All 6 shapes, tab & fingering ↓
6 ways to play Em on guitar, with finger positions, tabs and step-by-step instructions.
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
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): 2nd fret, middle finger (2) E
- 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|--2---| A|--2---| E|--0---|
Top line is the high E string. x = don’t play, 0 = open string.
Every Em 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 Em on guitar
Just two fingers on the 2nd fret of the A and D strings (022000), and all six strings ring. It’s a great first chord: strum it and you already sound like music.
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).
Learning guitar? Em is part of stage 1 (“E minor and A minor”) of our first guitar chords path.
