Chords in the Key of E Major — Guitar Chord Chart

Guitar Chords in the Key of E Major

The key of E major has 4 sharps, and its seven chords are E, F♯m, G♯m, A, B, C♯m, D♯dim. Start with E, A, B: they are the three a song in E major cannot do without. Every diagram below plays when you press it.

The seven chords of E major

One chord on each note of the scale, built from the scale’s own notes. Capital numerals are major chords, small ones minor, and ° is diminished.

IE022100the home chord
iiF♯m244222leads to V
iiiG♯m466444a softer stand-in for I
IVAx02220the step away from home
VBx24442pulls back to I
viC♯mx46654the relative minor
vii°D♯dimxx1242rare — a passing chord

The three to learn first

E is home — the chord the song starts from and ends on. A is the step away, and B is the one that pulls back home. On guitar they are 022100, x02220 and x24442: E with three fingers, A with three fingers and B with a barre at the 2nd fret and three more fingers.

The easy way: a capo at the 2nd fret

E major is not a friendly key on guitar — F♯m, G♯m, B and C♯m need a barre or a fourth finger. Clamp a capo at the 2nd fret and play the chords of D major instead: every shape sounds 2 semitones higher, so the D shape sounds E, the G shape sounds A and the A shape sounds B.

Progressions in E major

The orders these chords are most often played in. Press play to hear each one strummed, a bar to a chord.

I – IV – VE – A – B

Three chords, and thousands of folk, blues, country and rock songs.

I – V – vi – IVE – B – C♯m – A

The four-chord pop progression.

I – vi – IV – VE – C♯m – A – B

The 1950s doo-wop turnaround.

ii – V – IF♯m – B7 – E

The jazz cadence: two steps toward home, then home.

The sevenths

Four-note versions of the same chords. B7 is the one worth learning first: it is B with one note added, and it pulls toward E harder than the plain chord does.

V7B7x21202the dominant with its seventh — the strongest pull home
Imaj7Emaj7021100home, softened
ii7F♯m7242222the jazz player’s way into V7

The scale behind the chords

E major is the notes E – F♯ – G♯ – A – B – C♯ – D♯. Every chord above uses only those seven notes, which is why they sound as if they belong together — and why a melody in E major fits over any of them. Its relative minor is C♯ minor, which has the same notes and the same chords with a different home.

The nearest keys are a fifth either side: B major and A major. Each shares six of this key’s seven notes, which is why songs change key to them so often.

Frequently asked questions

What chords are in the key of E major?

E (I), F♯m (ii), G♯m (iii), A (IV), B (V), C♯m (vi), D♯dim (vii°). They are the seven chords you get by stacking thirds on each note of the E major scale — E, F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D♯ — using only notes of that scale.

What are the three main chords in E major?

E, A and B — the chords on the first, fourth and fifth notes of the scale. E is home, A moves away from it and B pulls back. A great many songs use only these three.

What is the relative minor of E major?

C♯ minor. The two keys share all seven notes and all seven chords, in a different order: what is vi in E major is the home chord of C♯ minor. A song can move between them without any chord sounding out of place.

Is E major an easy key on guitar?

4 of its six everyday chords — F♯m, G♯m, B and C♯m — need a barre or four fingers on guitar. The usual way round that is a capo at the 2nd fret, playing the chord shapes of D major.

Strum them yourself

The playable guitar puts the chords of a key in a row: tap one to hold it, and drag across the strings.

Play the Virtual Guitar