Guitar chord · Open shape · Standard tuning
E minor guitar chord (Em)
Place finger 2 on the 2nd fret of the A, finger 3 on the 2nd fret of the D. Strum all six strings.
E – G – B
Loop strum: down, down-up, up-down-up on 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &.
Next moves
2 fingers, 6 strings, chart notation 022000. Tap the chord box to hear it strummed, then play it string by string to check every note is ringing cleanly.
How to play Em
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).
- 2nd finger (middle) — 2nd fret, A string
- 3rd finger (ring) — 2nd fret, D string
- Play open: low E (6th), G (3rd), 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 | Open | — | G |
| 2nd — B | Open | — | B |
| 1st — high E | Open | — | E |
Notes and intervals in Em
Em is built from 3 notes: E, G and B.
- E — the root
- G — the minor 3rd
- B — the perfect 5th
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 Em is used for
Em is the easiest chord on the guitar: two fingers, six ringing strings. It is the vi chord in G major and the i in E minor, which is why it is the natural first chord to learn and the one that makes G, C and D start to sound like a song rather than an exercise.
Common mistakes with Em
- Using the index and middle fingers. Use the middle and ring instead — that leaves the index free for the G-string note that turns Em into E major.
- Not letting the top strings ring. All four open strings above the two fretted notes have to sound clearly, so keep the fretting fingers off them.
- Pressing on top of the fret wire rather than just behind it, which makes the note fizz instead of ring.
A first strum pattern
Count “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &” — eighth notes (quavers). Strum down, down-up, up-down-up: down on 1, down on 2, up on the “&” of 2, up on the “&” of 3, down on 4, up on the “&” of 4. Keep your hand moving down and up all the time, and only touch the strings on the marked counts.
Start the strum loop above at 60–70 BPM and change chords on beat 1.
E minor FAQ
How do you play E minor on guitar?
Place finger 2 on the 2nd fret of the A, finger 3 on the 2nd fret of the D. Strum all six strings. In chart notation it is 022000, low E string first.
What notes are in E minor?
E, G and B: the root, the minor 3rd and the perfect 5th.
What chord comes after E minor?
Common changes from E minor: G major, C major and D major. Practice the switch slowly with the strum loop, then speed it up.
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.