The seven chords of E minor
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.
- iEm0432the home chord
- ii°F♯dim2020rare — a passing chord
- IIIG0232the relative major
- ivAm2000the step away from home
- vBm4222the natural, gentler dominant
- VIC0003bright against the minor home
- VIID2220a whole step under home
The three to learn first
Em is home — the chord the song starts from and ends on. Am is the step away, and Bm is the one that pulls back home. On ukulele they are 0432, 2000 and 4222: Em with three fingers, Am with one finger and Bm with a barre at the 2nd fret and one more finger.
The easy way: a capo at the 2nd fret
E minor is not a friendly key on ukulele — Bm needs a barre or a fourth finger. Clamp a capo at the 2nd fret and play the chords of D minor instead: every shape sounds 2 semitones higher, so the Dm shape sounds Em, the Gm shape sounds Am and the Am shape sounds Bm.
Progressions in E minor
The orders these chords are most often played in. Press play to hear each one strummed, a bar to a chord.
The minor three-chord song, with the major dominant.
The four-chord pop progression, started from its minor chord.
The descending “Andalusian” line.
The sevenths
Four-note versions of the same chords. B7 is the one worth learning first: it is Bm with one note added, and it pulls toward Em harder than the plain chord does.
The scale behind the chords
E minor is the notes E – F♯ – G – A – B – C – D. Every chord above uses only those seven notes (except B7, which raises the seventh), which is why they sound as if they belong together — and why a melody in E minor fits over any of them. Its relative major is G major, which has the same notes and the same chords with a different home.
The nearest keys are a fifth either side: B minor and A minor. 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 minor?
Em (i), F♯dim (ii°), G (III), Am (iv), Bm (v), C (VI), D (VII). They are the seven chords you get by stacking thirds on each note of the E minor scale — E, F♯, G, A, B, C, D — using only notes of that scale. Songs in E minor also use B7, the major dominant, which borrows one note from outside it.
What are the three main chords in E minor?
Em, Am and Bm — the chords on the first, fourth and fifth notes of the scale. Em is home, Am moves away from it and Bm pulls back. A great many songs use only these three.
What is the relative major of E minor?
G major. The two keys share all seven notes and all seven chords, in a different order: what is III in E minor is the home chord of G major. A song can move between them without any chord sounding out of place.
Is E minor an easy key on ukulele?
One everyday chord — Bm — needs a barre or four fingers on ukulele. The usual way round that is a capo at the 2nd fret, playing the chord shapes of D minor.