E Minor 7 Chord

How to play Em7 on guitar

Read the diagrams with the low E string on the left. × means do not play that string, ○ means play it open.

How to play Em7 on piano

Play E, G, B, D together. With your right hand, use fingers 1, 2, 3 and 5 (thumb on E). Your left hand can play E an octave lower for a fuller sound.

Where Em7 is used

Em7 fits in three major keys: it is the two chord (ii7) in D major, the three chord (iii7) in C major and the six chord (vi7) in G major. It is also the home chord (i7) of E minor.

The most common place you will meet it is the ii-V-I progression: Em7 - A7 - Dmaj7. That move is the backbone of jazz standards and shows up in plenty of pop and soul songs too.

Compared with plain Em, the added D makes the chord sound smoother and less sad.

Related chords

• E (E major)
• Em (E minor)
• E7 (E seventh)
• Emaj7 (E major seventh)
• Esus4 (E suspended fourth)
• All chords in the library

Change this chord into another key with the Chord Transposer, or look up any other chord or scale in the Chord and Scale Finder.