E minor 7th chord on guitar (Em7)

Also called or written Em7 or Emin7

E minor 7th contains E, G, B, and D. The open voicing is advanced because it uses all six strings with no muting.

Positions on the neck1 of 5

Practice E minor 7th chord

How it is built

ERootGMinor thirdBPerfect fifthDMinor seventh

Formula 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7

Inversions

Root positionE–G–B–DEm70-2-0-0-0-0
First inversionG–B–D–EEm7/G3-2-0-0-0-0
Second inversionB–D–E–GEm7/B×-2-0-0-0-0
Third inversionD–E–G–BEm7/D×-×-0-0-0-0

How do you play an E minor 7th chord on guitar?

E minor 7th is played in open position as 0 2 0 0 0 0: index finger on the A string at fret 2. The low E, D, G, B and high e strings ring open.

Full note and interval breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	open	—	E (1)
5 (A)	2	1	B (5)
4 (D)	open	—	D (♭7)
3 (G)	open	—	G (♭3)
2 (B)	open	—	B (5)
1 (e)	open	—	E (1)

AdvancedE minor 7th uses all six strings with no muting, so the index finger must arch cleanly over the D string.

Open · 0-2-0-0-0-3

E minor 7th is played in open position as 0 2 0 0 0 3: index finger on the A string at fret 2 and middle finger on the high e string at fret 3. The low E, D, G and B strings ring open.

Full note and interval breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	open	—	E (1)
5 (A)	2	1	B (5)
4 (D)	open	—	D (♭7)
3 (G)	open	—	G (♭3)
2 (B)	open	—	B (5)
1 (e)	3	2	G (♭3)

Open · 0-2-0-0-3-0

E minor 7th is played in open position as 0 2 0 0 3 0: index finger on the A string at fret 2 and middle finger on the B string at fret 3. The low E, D, G and high e strings ring open.

Full note and interval breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	open	—	E (1)
5 (A)	2	1	B (5)
4 (D)	open	—	D (♭7)
3 (G)	open	—	G (♭3)
2 (B)	3	2	D (♭7)
1 (e)	open	—	E (1)

Open · 0-2-0-0-3-3

E minor 7th is played in open position as 0 2 0 0 3 3: index finger on the A string at fret 2, middle finger on the B string at fret 3 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 3. The low E, D and G strings ring open.

Full note and interval breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	open	—	E (1)
5 (A)	2	1	B (5)
4 (D)	open	—	D (♭7)
3 (G)	open	—	G (♭3)
2 (B)	3	2	D (♭7)
1 (e)	3	3	G (♭3)

Open · 0-2-2-0-3-0

E minor 7th is played in open position as 0 2 2 0 3 0: index finger on the A string at fret 2, middle finger on the D string at fret 2 and ring finger on the B string at fret 3. The low E, G and high e strings ring open.

Full note and interval breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
6 (E)	open	—	E (1)
5 (A)	2	1	B (5)
4 (D)	2	2	E (1)
3 (G)	open	—	G (♭3)
2 (B)	3	3	D (♭7)
1 (e)	open	—	E (1)

Why it sounds like that

E minor 7th is built from 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7. The ♭7 adds a mellow edge to the minor triad. Compare it with E minor, which has no seventh.

What goes wrong with E minor 7th?

The index finger collapses and mutes the D string.
The index finger touches the G string, killing the open note.
The low E string is accidentally muted by the palm.

When to use it

E minor 7th works in the I–V–vi–IV progression in G major: G major–D major–E minor–C major. It suits rock, pop, and ballads.

Changing to and from E minor 7th

Move to <a href="/guitar/g-major-chord">G major</a> by lifting the index finger and placing the middle finger on the low E string 3rd fret.

Which voicing to use

The open voicing is the only position shown. It is the easiest to grab and sounds full and resonant.

Other E chords

Common questions

How is E minor 7th written?

E minor 7th is written as Emin7 or Em7.

What is the difference between E minor 7th and E minor?

E minor 7th adds the note D to the E minor triad. That D is a minor 7th above E, giving the chord a softer, more colorful sound.

Why does the open voicing use all six strings?

All six open or fretted notes are chord tones, so no muting is needed. The low E is the root, giving a strong bass foundation.