Piano chord · Minor 7th
E minor 7th piano chord (Em7)
E, G, B and D, played together. Root position is highlighted on the keyboard below — press play to hear it.
Notes in Em7: E, G, B and D
| Note | Interval from the root | Key around middle C |
|---|---|---|
| E | Root | E4 · white key |
| G | Minor 3rd | G4 · white key |
| B | Perfect 5th | B4 · white key |
| D | Minor 7th | D5 · white key |
- Chord symbol: Em7 — E minor 7th
- Formula: R · b3 · 5 · b7 (0 · 3 · 7 · 10 semitones from the root)
- Right hand fingering: 1-2-3-5 — thumb, index, middle and little finger
- Left hand fingering: 5-3-2-1, little finger on the root
How Em7 works
Em7 is the iii chord in C, the ii in D and the vi in G — three keys, one shape, no black keys. Its top three notes are a G major chord, which is why Em7 slides so smoothly into G.
Em7 inversions
An inversion keeps the same notes and changes which one is at the bottom. That matters because it lets you move between chords without jumping: the closer the notes of the next chord are to the ones your hand is already holding, the smoother it sounds and the easier it is to play. Root position first, then three inversions.
Root position
E–G–B–D — the root, E, is at the bottom.
1st inversion — G in the bass
G–B–D–E — the same four notes, reordered so G is lowest.
2nd inversion — B in the bass
B–D–E–G — the same four notes, reordered so B is lowest.
3rd inversion — D in the bass
D–E–G–B — the same four notes, reordered so D is lowest.
Common mistakes on Em7
- Playing D♯ instead of D, which gives E minor-major 7.
- Treating it as a different chord from Em. It is Em with one extra note — keep the fingers you already have and add D.
Piano 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.