How To Play The E Minor Chord On Guitar (Em)

Introduction to the E minor chord on guitar

Learning to play the E minor chord on guitar is a common first step in a guitarist’s journey. This lesson will help you learn it with ease.

It’s 1 of the 3 foundational open minor guitar chords, the other 2 chords being A minor and D minor.

How to play the open E minor chord on guitar

The most commonly seen version of the E minor chord on guitar is the 2 finger, open position shape. This is called the “E minor shape”.

Here’s how to play the E minor chord, step-by-step:

1. Place your ring finger on fret 2 of the D string
2. Place your middle finger on fret 2 of the A string
3. Strum all strings starting from the Low E string.

Step 1

Step 2

Don’t know how to read chord charts? Learn here.

Don’t know the guitar string names and order? Learn here.

Understanding the E minor chord on guitar

Writing the E minor chord

You might see minor chord names abbreviated differently as you learn guitar. The three most common ways to write the E minor chord are:

E minor – Emin – Em

Notes in the E minor chord

The notes in the E minor chord are E,G, and B.

Em chord intervals

E	G	B
1 (root)	b3 ( minor third)	5 (fifth)

Learn about intervals from pudgetsound.

Questions about the E minor chord on guitar

What is the difference between E major and E minor on guitar?

There are 8 total foundational guitar chords, E major and E minor being two of them. The difference between E major and E minor is the 3rd.

E major has a major 3rd (3), and E minor has a minor 3rd (b3). Relative to the E root note, changing the third makes a dramatic difference in the chord’s sound.

What’s next?

Now that you’ve learned the E minor chord on guitar you can move onto new things!

Here are some recommended lessons.

Guitar Chords In The Key Of E Minor (Em)

E Minor Pentatonic Scale Guitar Guide

E Minor Scale Guitar Lesson | How to Play