Master the Emaj7 Guitar Chord: Theory and Application

To build Emaj7, the E major seventh chord, take root E, major third G#, fifth B and major seventh D#. The interval from the root to the seventh is eleven semitones, and that single interval sets it apart from other seventh chords.

Eight voicings are mapped out here, five of them with open strings and four using a barre. In a major key it is the chord you get by stacking thirds on the first and fourth degrees. For soloing or filling in melody, the E major scale contains every note of the chord. After this one, next-level guitar chords extend the same idea.

Set a tempo in the chord player above, start the drums and play Emaj7 along with the loop.

E major 7th guitar chord is also written as Emaj7, EM7, EΔ7 or Ema7.

Emaj7 Chord Notes and Formula

Notes of the E maj7 chord:

E G# B D#

Formula of the Major Seventh chord:

Formula: 1 3 5 7

E Maj7 Chord Interactive Fretboard

Want a structured chord roadmap instead of jumping between pages?
Go to the full guitar chords tutorial.

E Maj7 Guitar Chord Diagrams

Position 1 Open

Finger Positions

Let the low E 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 1 of the D string
Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 1 of the G string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 2 of the A string

Position 2 Barre Open

Finger Positions

Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 4 of the G, B and high E strings at the same time
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 6 of the D string
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 7 of the A string

Position 3 Barre Open

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 G 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 B string

Position 4 Movable

Finger Positions

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

Position 5 Open

Finger Positions

Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
Mute the A string
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 8 of the G string
Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the D string

Position 6 Open

Finger Positions

Let the low E 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 6 of the A 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 7 Barre Movable

Finger Positions

Mute the low E string
Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the A and D strings at the same time
Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 4 of the G, B and high E strings at the same time

Position 8 Barre Movable

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 G 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 B string

Find more shapes in our all guitar chords online library. If you prefer a printable pdf, download the Free Guitar Chords Chart Pdf

Chords That Go With Emaj7

One key where Emaj7 fits is E major, where it works as the I chord. These are the main chords of that key, the ones you will often hear around it:

I · E ii · F#m iii · G#m IV · A V · B vi · C#m

See every key in the guitar keys chart, or build a progression with these chords in the chord progression generator.

More E Chords

E Em E7 Em7 Esus4 Esus2 Eadd9 Edim E9 E6

Want to know how this chord is built? Read how seventh chords are built, or browse all E guitar chords.

Play This Chord With Other Roots

Want to Learn Everything About Chords?

Check Chords Domination out: a unique ebook that shows you finger positions, note names and intervals in the chords (plus a tones fretboard maps)

You'll learn how to play 44 chords types across all the fretboard, with many voicings and fingerings

In the ebook you can also find maps show you the tones in a chord all along the fretboard. They are incredibly helpful because allow you to:

Create new voicings on the fly, across all the neck
Improvise targeting the right notes
Unlock the fretboard and expand the CAGED system.

In the new ebook, Chords Domination, you'll find the fretboard tones maps for 44 different qualities of chords. Check it out:

Download Free Excerpt Learn More Here

Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

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

FAQ

What notes are in E major seventh?

E major seventh contains E, G#, B and D#. D# is the major seventh, one semitone short of the octave of E.

How many voicings does Emaj7 have?

Emaj7 has 8 voicings, 5 with open strings and 4 with a barre. The highest one reaches the 9th fret.

In which keys does Emaj7 occur?

Emaj7 is the I chord of E major and the IV chord of B major. Both scales contain E, G#, B and D#.

Which scale fits Emaj7?

The E major scale: E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D#. It contains all four notes of the chord.