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Piano chord · Minor triad · Beginner

E minor piano chord (Em)

E minor is E – G – B. Right hand fingers 1-3-5.

Root position
EmE minor

E – G – B

Built from the root, minor 3rd, perfect 5th. Keys show right-hand fingers: 1 = thumb.

E minor in root position on the treble staff
E minor in root position on the treble staff
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Speed76BPM

Next moves

RelatedE majorE – G♯ – BScaleE minor scaleOn piano, with right- and left-hand fingeringPracticePractice EmRandom prompts until the shape is automaticToolChord identifierPress keys and find out what you playedOn guitarEm guitar chordThe same chord as a guitar shapeAll chordsAll 43 piano chordsThe full major, minor and 7th chartPrintPiano chord chart PDFAll 43 chords, free

E, G and B, played together. Root position is lit on the keyboard above — press Play chord to hear it, or switch to an inversion.

Notes in Em: E, G and B

NoteInterval from the rootKey around middle C
ERootE4 · white key
GMinor 3rdG4 · white key
BPerfect 5thB4 · white key
  • Chord symbol: Em — E minor
  • Formula: root, minor 3rd, perfect 5th (0 · 3 · 7 half steps (semitones) from the root)
  • Right hand fingering: 1-3-5 — thumb, middle finger and little finger
  • Left hand fingering: 5-3-1, little finger on the root

How Em works

E minor is all white keys and the relative minor of G major, which makes it one of the most-used chords in pop and folk. The shape is E major with the middle finger moved back one key onto G natural.

Em 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 two inversions.

  • Root position

    E–G–B — the root, E, is at the bottom.

    Right hand1-3-5Left hand5-3-1

  • 1st inversion — G in the bass

    G–B–E — the same three notes, reordered so G is lowest.

    Right hand1-2-5Left hand5-3-1

  • 2nd inversion — B in the bass

    B–E–G — the same three notes, reordered so B is lowest.

    Right hand1-3-5Left hand5-2-1

PositionNotes, lowest firstRight handLeft hand
Root positionE – G – B1 – 3 – 55 – 3 – 1
1st inversionG – B – E1 – 2 – 55 – 3 – 1
2nd inversionB – E – G1 – 3 – 55 – 2 – 1

1 = thumb, 5 = little finger. Notes listed from the lowest key up.

Common mistakes on Em

  • Leaving G♯ in place from E major.
  • Rolling the hand outwards so finger 5 lands on C instead of B.
  • Releasing the chord before the three notes have properly sounded together.

E minor FAQ

What notes are in E minor?

E, G and B: the root, minor 3rd, perfect 5th.

What fingers do I use for E minor?

In root position, right hand 1-3-5 and left hand 5-3-1 (1 = thumb, 5 = little finger). 1st inversion: right hand 1-2-5, left hand 5-3-1; 2nd inversion: right hand 1-3-5, left hand 5-2-1.

What are the inversions of E minor?

1st inversion: G–B–E. 2nd inversion: B–E–G. Same notes, a different one at the bottom.

E minor piano chord diagram
Em piano chord chart: E, G, B highlighted and labeled on the keyboard.

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.