Master the Em Guitar Chord: Play with Precision

E m position 1 guitar chord diagram

The Em chord, E minor, is spelled E, G and B. Out of 19 voicings, 12 use open strings, and only three need a barre, so the open strings do most of the work.

It is the vi chord in G major, the ii in D major and the iii in C major. Slide a shape up the neck and the same idea becomes barre chords for other roots. The E minor pentatonic scale (E, G, A, B, D) contains every chord tone.

Start the drum loop in the tool at the top, choose a tempo and repeat Em until it falls on the beat.

E minor guitar chord is also written as Em, Emin, E- or Emi.

Notes that compose the E m chord:

E G B

Chord Structure:

Formula: 1 b3 5

E M Chord Interactive Fretboard

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Go to the full guitar chords tutorial.

E M Guitar Chord Diagrams

Position 1 Open

E m position 1 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the G string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the B string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the high E string play without pressing any fret
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the A string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 2 of the D string

Position 2 Open

E m position 2 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
  • Mute the A string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 3 of the high E string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 4 of the G string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the D string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the B string

Position 3 Barre Open

E m position 3 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the A and high E strings at the same time
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the B string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the D string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 9 of the G string

Position 4 Movable

E m position 4 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the A string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 3 of the high E string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 4 of the G string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the D string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the B string

Position 5 Barre Movable

E m position 5 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the A and high E strings at the same time
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the B string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the D string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 9 of the G string

Position 6 Open

E m position 6 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the G string play without pressing any fret
  • Mute the B string
  • Mute the high E string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the A string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 2 of the D string

Position 7 Open

E m position 7 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
  • Mute the A string
  • Mute the D string
  • Mute the G string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the high E string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the B string

Position 8 Movable

E m position 8 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the A string
  • Mute the D string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the high E string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the B string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the G string

Position 9 Movable

E m position 9 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the G string
  • Mute the B string
  • Mute the high E string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 5 of the D string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 7 of the A string

Position 10 Movable

E m position 10 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the high E string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the A string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 4 of the G string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the D string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the B string

Position 11 Movable

E m position 11 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the A string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the high E string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the B string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the D string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 9 of the G string

Position 12 Open

E m position 12 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the D string
  • Let the G string play without pressing any fret
  • Mute the high E string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 7 of the A string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 8 of the B string

Position 13 Open

E m position 13 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the G string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the B string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the high E string play without pressing any fret
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the A string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the D string

Position 14 Open

E m position 15 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the A string
  • Let the G string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the B string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the high E string play without pressing any fret
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the D string

Position 15 Open

E m position 16 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the A string
  • Mute the D string
  • Let the G string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the B string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the high E string play without pressing any fret

Position 16 Open

E m position 17 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the A string
  • Let the high E string play without pressing any fret
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 4 of the G string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 5 of the D string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the B string

Position 17 Open

E m position 18 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the G string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the B string play without pressing any fret
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the A string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 2 of the D string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 3 of the high E string

Position 18 Open

E m position 19 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Let the G string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the B string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the high E string play without pressing any fret
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the A string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 2 of the D string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 3 of the low E string

Position 19 Barre Movable

E m position 20 guitar chord diagram

Finger Positions

  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the low E, A and high E strings at the same time
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the B string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the D string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 9 of the G string

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Play This Chord With Other Roots

C m | D m | E m | F m | G m | A m | B m | C#m | D#m | F#m | G#m | A#m | Abm | Bbm | Dbm | Ebm | Gbm

Giancarlo Facoetti, founder of FaChords Guitar

Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher

FAQ

What notes are in Em?

E, G and B, all natural notes. G is the minor third and B is the perfect fifth.

In which keys is E minor a diatonic chord?

Em is the vi chord in G major, the ii chord in D major and the iii chord in C major. It is the i chord in E minor.

How many voicings of Em exist on guitar?

Nineteen voicings, twelve of them using open strings and three using a barre. They lie between fret 2 and fret 9.

What is the difference between Em and E major?

E major is E, G# and B. Em has G natural instead of G#, which makes the third minor and gives the chord its darker sound.

Which scale goes with Em?

The E minor scale: E, F#, G, A, B, C and D. It holds all three notes of the chord, E, G and B.