Explore the Em7 Guitar Chord: Unleash Its Groove

E m7 position 1 guitar chord diagram

Take E, G, B and D together and you have the Em7 chord, E minor seventh. The page lists 21 voicings: nine use open strings and nine are barre shapes.

Em7 is the ii chord in D major, the iii in C major and the vi in G major. Changing between it and its neighbours is simpler once you practise smoother chord changes. Over the chord, any note of the E minor pentatonic scale will fit.

Start the drum loop at the top, choose a tempo and play along, moving from one voicing to the next without stopping.

E minor 7th guitar chord is also written as Em7, Emin7, E-7 or Emi7.

Em7 Chord Notes and Formula

Notes that compose the E m7 chord:

E G B D

Chord Formula:

Formula: 1 b3 5 b7

Em7 Chord Interactive Fretboard

Want a structured chord roadmap instead of jumping between pages?
Go to the full guitar chords tutorial.

Em7 Guitar Chord Diagrams

Position 1 Open

E m7 position 1 guitar chord diagram

E Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the D string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the G string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the high E string play without pressing any fret
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the A string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 3 of the B string

Position 2 Open

E m7 position 2 guitar chord diagram

E Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
  • Mute the A string
  • Let the high E string play without pressing any fret
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 3 of the B string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 4 of the G string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the D string

Position 3 Barre Open

E m7 position 3 guitar chord diagram

E Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the A, G and high E strings at the same time
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the B string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the D string

Position 4 Open

E m7 position 4 guitar chord diagram

E Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the D string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the G string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the B string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the high E string play without pressing any fret
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the A string

Position 5 Open

E m7 position 5 guitar chord diagram

E Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the G string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the high E string play without pressing any fret
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the A string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the D string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 3 of the B string

Position 6 Open

E m7 position 6 guitar chord diagram

E Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the A string
  • Let the G string play without pressing any fret
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the D string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 3 of the B string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 3 of the high E string

Position 7 Barre Movable

E m7 position 7 guitar chord diagram

E Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Mute the A string
  • Mute the B string
  • Mute the high E string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 12 of the low E string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 12 of the D and G strings at the same time

Position 8 Barre Movable

E m7 position 8 guitar chord diagram

E Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Mute the A string
  • Mute the high E string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 12 of the low E string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 12 of the D, G and B strings at the same time

Position 9 Movable

E m7 position 9 guitar chord diagram

E Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the B string
  • Mute the high E string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 5 of the D string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 7 of the A string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 7 of the G string

Position 10 Movable

E m7 position 10 guitar chord diagram

E Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the high E string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 5 of the D string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 7 of the A string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 7 of the G string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 8 of the B string

Position 11 Barre Movable

E m7 position 11 guitar chord diagram

E Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Mute the A string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 12 of the low E string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 12 of the D, G, B and high E strings at the same time

Position 12 Barre Movable

E m7 position 12 guitar chord diagram

E Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 12 of the low E, D, G, B and high E strings at the same time
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 14 of the A string

Position 13 Barre Movable

E m7 position 13 guitar chord diagram

E Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the A, G and high E strings at the same time
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the B string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the D string

Position 14 Movable

E m7 position 14 guitar chord diagram

E Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the D string
  • Mute the high E string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 7 of the A string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 7 of the G string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 8 of the B string

Position 15 Barre Movable Slash Chord

E m7 position 15 guitar chord diagram (Em7/D slash chord)

E/D Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the A string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 12 of the D, G, B and high E strings at the same time

The lowest note is D, not the root, so this voicing is the slash chord Em7/D.

Position 16 Barre Movable

E m7 position 16 guitar chord diagram

E Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the A string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the D string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 3 of the B and high E strings at the same time
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 4 of the G string

Position 17 Open

E m7 position 17 guitar chord diagram

E Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the D string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the G string play without pressing any fret
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the A string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 3 of the B string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 3 of the high E string

Position 18 Open

E m7 position 18 guitar chord diagram

E Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Let the low E string play without pressing any fret
  • Mute the A string
  • Mute the D string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the G string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 7 of the high E string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 8 of the B string

Position 19 Open

E m7 position 19 guitar chord diagram

E Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the A string
  • Let the G string play without pressing any fret
  • Let the high E string play without pressing any fret
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the D string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 3 of the B string

Position 20 Barre Movable Slash Chord

E m7 position 20 guitar chord diagram (Em7/G slash chord)

E/G Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Mute the low E string
  • Mute the A string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 5 of the D and B strings at the same time
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 7 of the G string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 7 of the high E string

The lowest note is G, not the root, so this voicing is the slash chord Em7/G.

Position 21 Movable Slash Chord

E m7 position 21 guitar chord diagram (Em7/G slash chord)

E/G Minor Seventh Finger Positions

  • Mute the A string
  • Mute the high E string
  • Place your index finger (1) on the fret 14 of the D string
  • Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 15 of the low E string
  • Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 15 of the B string
  • Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 16 of the G string

The lowest note is G, not the root, so this voicing is the slash chord Em7/G.

download this tutorial in pdf Find more shapes in our all guitar chords online library. If you prefer a printable pdf, download the Free Guitar Chords Chart Pdf

Chords That Go With Em7

One key where Em7 fits is G major, where it works as the vi chord. These are the main chords of that key, the ones you will often hear around it:

I · G ii · Am iii · Bm IV · C V · D vi · Em

See every key in the guitar keys chart, or build a progression with these chords in the chord progression generator.

More E Chords

E Em E7 Emaj7 Esus4 Esus2 Eadd9 Edim E9 E6 Eaug Em6 E7sus4 Edim7

Want to know how this chord is built? Read how seventh chords are built, or browse all E guitar chords.

Play This Chord With Other Roots

C m7 | D m7 | E m7 | F m7 | G m7 | A m7 | B m7 | C#m7 | D#m7 | F#m7 | G#m7 | A#m7 | Abm7 | Bbm7 | Dbm7 | Ebm7 | Gbm7

E Minor Seventh Chord | Construction, Keys and Songs

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.

C maj7 D m7 E m7 F maj7 G 7 A m7 B m7/b5
B (7)
G (5)
E (3)
C (1)		 C (1)
A (6)
F (4)
D (2)		 D (2)
B (7)
G (5)
E (3)		 E (3)
C (1)
A (6)
F (4)		 F (4)
D (2)
B (7)
G (5)		 G (5)
E (3)
C (1)
A (6)		 A (6)
F (4)
D (2)
B (7)

G Major Key

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

G maj7 A m7 B m7 C maj7 D 7 E m7 F# m7/b5
F# (7)
D (5)
B (3)
G (1)		 G (1)
E (6)
C (4)
A (2)		 A (2)
F# (7)
D (5)
B (3)		 B (3)
G (1)
E (6)
C (4)		 C (4)
A (2)
F# (7)
D (5)		 D (5)
B (3)
G (1)
E (6)		 E (6)
C (4)
A (2)
F# (7)

D Major Key

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

D maj7 E m7 F# m7 G maj7 A 7 B m7 C# m7/b5
C# (7)
A (5)
F# (3)
D (1)		 D (1)
B (6)
G (4)
E (2)		 E (2)
C# (7)
A (5)
F# (3)		 F# (3)
D (1)
B (6)
G (4)		 G (4)
E (2)
C# (7)
A (5)		 A (5)
F# (3)
D (1)
B (6)		 B (6)
G (4)
E (2)
C# (7)

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.

Giancarlo Facoetti, founder of FaChords Guitar

Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher

FAQ

What notes does the Em7 chord contain?

E, G, B and D. Only four notes and no accidentals: an E minor triad plus the minor seventh D.

How does Em7 differ from E7?

E7 has G# as its third, while Em7 has G natural. Both share E, B and D, so the only change is the third, a semitone lower in the minor chord.

Which keys include Em7 as a chord?

Em7 is the ii chord in D major, the iii chord in C major and the vi chord in G major. In E minor it is the i chord.

Which scale goes well with Em7?

E Dorian: E, F#, G, A, B, C# and D. It contains every note of Em7, and it is the D major scale starting on E.

How many ways are there to play Em7 on guitar?

The fingering data lists 21 voicings from the 2nd to the 16th fret. Nine use open strings and nine are barre voicings.