Piano chord · Minor triad · Beginner
E minor piano chord (Em)
E, G and B, played together. Root position is highlighted on the keyboard below — press play to hear it.
Notes in Em: E, G and B
| 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 |
- Chord symbol: Em — E minor
- Formula: R · b3 · 5 (0 · 3 · 7 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.
1st inversion — G in the bass
G–B–E — the same three notes, reordered so G is lowest.
2nd inversion — B in the bass
B–E–G — the same three notes, reordered so B is lowest.
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.
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.