Em7 Guitar Chord Explained

The Em7 chord, a beautiful and versatile addition to any guitarist's repertoire, offers a rich, melancholic sound that is both easy to play and highly effective in a variety of musical styles.

The Em7 chord is made up of the notes E, G, B, and D, while the its formula is: Root (1), Minor Third (b3), Perfect Fifth (5) Minor Seventh (b7).

This chord can be played with different shapes, from the easiest to the hardest, in the following you're going to learn several ways to fret the Em7 chord on guitar.

We can see the E minor seventh chord like an E minor chord (E, G and B) with an additional note, D, that is a minor seventh from the root (10 half-steps).

Creating the Em7 chord is easy, just take the E minor scale:

E F# G A B C D

And select the first, third, fifth and seventh note. You get E, G, B and D.

It is a cool chord that you can play with a couple of really easy shapes, suitable for beginners.

For example, position 4 sounds beautiful and you only have to use one finger, on the 2nd fret of the A string.

Keys With The E Minor Seventh Chords

Here below we show the most common keys that contain the E Minor Seventh chord.

As this chord is composed of 4 notes (E, G, B and D) we use 4 tones harmonization tables.

C Major Key

In the C major key, you find the E m7 at the 3rd degree.

G Major Key

E m7 in the relative minor chord (6th) of the G major key.

D Major Key

The 2nd chord of the D major key is our E m7.

Songs With E minor 7

There are tons of songs with the E minor 7 chord; on the guitar, this chord can be played with many open strings, so it has a really powerful sound.

Here are some popular songs that contain this chord:

• Grateful Dead: Shakedown Street
• Nat King Cole: Autumn Leaves
• Ben E. King: Stand By Me
• The Beatles: Yesterday
• Bob Marley: Redemption Song

Em7 - Practice And Playing Tips

Here are a few more suggestions that will help you with this chord.

• Finger Placement: Ensure your fingers are curled and pressing down just behind the frets to avoid buzzing sounds.
• Strumming: You can use shapes with all six strings for a full, resonant sound.
• Hand Position: Keep your wrist relaxed and slightly bent to easily reach the frets.
• Chord Transitions: Practice switching between Em7 and other chords like G, D, or C to enhance muscle memory.
• Use in Songs: Incorporate Em7 into songs you know, especially those in genres like folk, rock, or blues, to appreciate its versatile nature.

E Minor Seventh Guitar Chord Shapes

Chord boxes are sorted from the easiest to the hardest. Learn how to read chord diagrams.

If you have difficulties with bar chord shapes, check the Bar Chords Tips tutorial.

Find more shapes on my all guitar chords online library.

Position 1
Movable

Position 2
Movable

Position 3
Open

Position 4
Open

Position 5
Open

Position 6
Open

Position 7
Open

Position 8
Open

Position 9
Movable

Position 10
Movable

Position 11
Open

Position 12
BarreMovable

Position 13
Open

Position 14
BarreMovable

Position 15
BarreMovable

Position 16
BarreMovable

Position 17
BarreMovable

Position 18
BarreMovable

Position 19
BarreMovable

Position 20
BarreOpen

Position 21
BarreMovable

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