How to play Em (E Minor) on Guitar
Diagram, notes, and audio for the Em chord on guitar. Free in your browser.
About Em on guitar
E minor is the easiest chord on the guitar. Two fingers — middle on the 2nd fret of the A string, ring on the 2nd fret of the D string — and every other string rings open. The notes are E, G, and B, the i chord of E minor and the vi chord of the key of G major. Many guitarists' very first chord is Em because it requires almost no finger strength.
E minor is the home of countless rock, metal, and folk songs because of where it sits sonically: the lowest open chord on the guitar, with the deepest sustain. Bands like Metallica, Iron Maiden, and System of a Down build entire songs around Em-rooted riffs. On the acoustic side House of the Rising Sun, Wish You Were Here, and Mad World all pivot around or start on Em.
Because Em is the relative minor of G major, the same chord palette works for both — Em, G, C, D, Am — making it the easiest minor key to start writing in. Adding a single note to Em produces several useful variations: Em7 (open D string instead of fretted), Esus4 (add B on the 2nd fret of the high E), and Em9 (open D plus the F# on the 2nd fret of the high E).
Frequently asked questions
- Is E minor the easiest guitar chord?
- Yes. Two fingers on the 2nd fret, every other string open. It's the chord most teachers start with even before E major or Am.
- What chords pair well with E minor?
- G, D, C, and Am — the I, V, IV, and ii of G major, since Em is G's relative minor. Together they cover most folk and pop progressions.
- How is E minor different from E minor 7?
- Em7 adds the open D string (the minor 7th of E) to the chord, making it ring with one extra note for a softer, more open sound.
Switch instruments
See Em on a different instrument — same chord, new diagram.