Guitar chord · Open shape · Standard tuning
E major guitar chord (E)
3 fingers, 6 strings, chart notation 022100. Tap the chord chart to hear it strummed, then arpeggio it to check every note is ringing cleanly.
All the strings in one sweep, low to high — how the chord sounds in a song.
- Strings, low to high
- E · B · E · G♯ · B · E
- Chord tones
- E R · G♯ 3 · B 5
How to play E
Finger numbers run 1 for the index to 4 for the little finger. String names are given as players say them — the low E is the thickest string (the 6th) and the high E is the thinnest (the 1st).
- 1st finger (index) — 1st fret, G string
- 2nd finger (middle) — 2nd fret, A string
- 3rd finger (ring) — 2nd fret, D string
- Play open: low E (6th), B (2nd) and high E (1st) — strum them without fretting anything.
- Strum all six strings. Nothing is muted in this shape, so the chord should ring from the low E right through to the high E.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note it sounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6th — low E | Open | — | E |
| 5th — A | 2nd fret | 2 (middle) | B |
| 4th — D | 2nd fret | 3 (ring) | E |
| 3rd — G | 1st fret | 1 (index) | G♯ |
| 2nd — B | Open | — | B |
| 1st — high E | Open | — | E |
Notes and intervals in E
E is built from 3 notes: E, G♯ and B.
- E — the root (R)
- G♯ — the major 3rd (3)
- B — the perfect 5th (5)
Across the six strings the shape sounds E · B · E · G♯ · B · E from low to high, so some notes are doubled in different octaves — that is what gives an open guitar chord its width compared with the same chord on a keyboard.
What E is used for
E is the biggest sounding open chord: all six strings ring and the lowest of them is the root. It is the I chord in E and the V of A, and its shape is the template for every major barre chord — the F barre is this exact pattern with the index finger standing in for the nut.
Common mistakes with E
- The index finger deadening the open B string. It only needs the 1st fret of the G string, so keep it arched.
- Rolling the middle and ring fingers flat so the D string chokes off.
- Squeezing far harder than the chord needs. E rings freely — pick each string one at a time before strumming and you will find you can relax.
Guitar chord data last updated . Every diagram here, in the printable PDF and in the chart image comes from one dataset, so the paper and the screen cannot disagree.