Chords in the Key of E Minor
The key of E minor contains seven chords: Em, F#dim, G, Am, Bm, C and D. The key has one sharp, F#, and most songs in E minor lean on Em, G, C and D, with B7 often standing in for Bm to pull the music back home.
The seven chords on guitar
Each chord below opens its own page, with more shapes up the neck, audio for every voicing and a printable chart. Tap the play button on any card to hear it.
The seven chords on piano
The same seven chords on a keyboard, in root position. Each one opens its own page, with every inversion and the finger numbers for both hands.
iEmE G B 
the home chord
ii°F#dimF♯ A C 
the tense one, used sparingly
IIIGG B D 
the relative major, the bright lift
ivAmA C E 
the darker step away from home
vBmB D F♯ 
the pull home, usually played major
VICC E G 
the warm place to rest
VIIDD F♯ A 
a step below home, the rock cadence
The seventh chords in E minor
Add one more note to each chord and the key gains its seventh chords, which is where most jazz and a good deal of soul begins.
Common progressions in E minor
- i - VI - III - VII
Em C G D
Four open chords and no barre anywhere. This is the sound of a huge amount of minor key pop and rock, and it is the same four chords as the common G major sequence, just starting on the minor.
- i - VII - VI
Em D C
The VII is D, a whole step below Em, and walking down Em to D to C is the standard minor key rock descent. It falls under the hand in one position on guitar.
- i - iv - v
Em Am Bm
The plainest and saddest of the three, because every chord is minor. Bm is the only barre here, and swapping it for B7 gives the ending a much harder pull back to Em.
- i - iv - VII - III
Em Am D G
A gentler loop that keeps drifting toward the relative major. Stop it on G and the music sounds like it changed key to G major, which is exactly what sharing the same seven chords means.
Why these seven chords
On a stave, E minor is written with one sharp, F#, which is how a reader knows the key before playing a note.
E minor is built from the natural minor scale on E, and the seven triads follow the pattern i, ii diminished, III, iv, v, VI, VII. That gives Em as the home chord, F#dim as the one nobody plays much, G, C and D as the three major chords, and Am and Bm as the other two minors.
The chord worth knowing about is the fifth, Bm. In the natural minor scale it is minor, but songs constantly raise its third from D to D# and play it as B, usually B7. That raised note is the leading note of the harmonic minor scale, and it is what makes the return to Em sound final instead of just gentle. B7 is the one chord you will meet in E minor songs that is not in the list of seven, so do not be surprised when a chart asks for it. The relative major is G major, which has the same one sharp and the same seven chords; the only difference is which chord the music rests on.
On guitar
This is the friendliest key on the guitar. The open low E string is the tonic, so the whole key rings against it, and Em, G, C, D and Am are all open shapes. Em itself is two fingers, which is why it is usually the first chord anybody learns.
Only Bm needs a barre, at the second fret. Most players sidestep it by using B7 instead, which is an open shape and sounds stronger in this key anyway because of its raised third. F#dim almost never appears in songs, so in practice you can play most of E minor without moving out of open position.
On piano
E minor uses one black key, F#, and it turns up in only two of the seven chords, Em and F#dim. Everything else is white notes, so the hand stays in the same shape it learned for A minor and C major.
Em, G, Am, C and D all sit comfortably under a right hand in root position around middle C. Bm is the one that wants a different position, since its F# pushes the hand slightly forward. Each chord page here shows every inversion with fingering for both hands, which is the quickest way to find a set of voicings that do not jump around the keyboard.
Questions about the key of E Minor
What are the 7 chords in the key of E minor?
Em, F#dim, G, Am, Bm, C and D. Em, Am and Bm are minor, G, C and D are major, and F#dim is diminished.
What is the relative major of E minor?
G major. It has the same one sharp, F#, and exactly the same seven chords. The difference is that the music rests on G rather than Em.
Why do E minor songs use B7 instead of Bm?
Raising the third of the five chord from D to D# turns Bm into B, usually played as B7. That raised note sits a half step under E and pulls the music home much more strongly than Bm does.
Is E minor easy to play on guitar?
It is the easiest key on the instrument. The open low E string is the tonic, and Em, G, Am, C and D are all open shapes. Only Bm needs a barre, and B7 is a common open substitute.
What do the numbers next to each chord mean?
They are each chord's place in the key, written as Roman numerals. In E minor the i is Em, the iv is Am and the v is Bm. The numbering holds in every key, so the v of A minor is Em. That is why progressions get written as numerals like i, VI, III, VII: learn one and you have it in all twelve minor keys.
Why are some numerals capitals and some lowercase?
The case tells you the chord quality. Lowercase are minor, which in E minor means Em, Am and Bm. Capitals are major: G, C and D. The small circle on ii° means diminished, and here that is F#dim.
What is the relative major of E minor?
G major. It is written with one sharp, F#, the same signature as E minor, and it contains the same seven chords. Only the chord that sounds like home changes, from Em to G.
The relative major
G major is written with the same one sharp, F# and contains the same seven chords as E minor. What changes is which one sounds like home, so the same shapes can be played brighter without learning anything new. Chords in the key of G