How to play E (E Major) on Guitar
Diagram, notes, and audio for the E chord on guitar. Free in your browser.
About E on guitar
E major is the loudest open chord on a standard-tuned guitar. All six strings ring out — open E, B, E on the bottom three strings, plus the fretted notes G# (1st fret D string), B (2nd fret A string), and E (2nd fret G string). The chord notes E, G#, and B project with maximum sustain because three of the six open strings are already chord tones.
E is the I chord in the key of E major (four sharps) and the V chord in the key of A. It is the home chord of the blues — every twelve-bar in E pivots around E7, A7, and B7 — and the launchpad for the most-used moveable barre shape in rock guitar. Slide the E shape up two frets, add a barre, and you have F#: master one shape, gain twelve.
Across genres E major is everywhere. Surf-rock and rockabilly use open E with shuffle rhythms; classic rock anthems like Sweet Home Alabama and Folsom Prison Blues centre on E; punk and metal ride E5 power chords. Even classical guitar pieces in E major exploit the way the lowest string acts as a constant pedal tone, anchoring busy arpeggios above it.
Frequently asked questions
- How is E major different from E minor?
- E major has a G# on the 1st fret of the G string; E minor leaves that string open, lowering the third by a semitone to G natural.
- Why does E major sound so loud?
- Three of the chord's notes — E, B, and E — appear as open strings, so the guitar's body resonates fully. No fretted note dampens those open vibrations.
- What is an E major barre chord?
- Any major barre chord using the E shape: place the open-E shape with fingers two, three, and four, then barre your index finger across all six strings at the desired fret. The fret you barre defines the new root.
Switch instruments
See E on a different instrument — same chord, new diagram.