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E minor major 7th chord on guitar (EmMaj7)
Also called or written EmMaj7, Eminmaj7, Emmaj7, EmM7, E Minor Sharp 7 or E Minor ♯7
E minor major 7th is built from E, G, B, and D♯. The open voicing uses all six strings, giving it a full, ringing sound.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, 5, 7
- Root positionE–G–B–D♯EmMaj70-2-1-0-0-0
- First inversionG–B–D♯–EEmMaj7/G3-2-1-0-0-0
- Second inversionB–D♯–E–GEmMaj7/B×-2-1-0-0-0
- Third inversionD♯–E–G–BEmMaj7/D♯×-×-1-0-0-0
How do you play an E minor major 7th chord on guitar?
E minor major 7th is played in open position as 0 2 1 0 0 0: middle finger on the A string at fret 2 and index finger on the D string at fret 1. The low E, 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 | 2 | B (5) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 | D♯ (7) |
| 3 (G) | open | — | G (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | open | — | B (5) |
| 1 (e) | open | — | E (1) |
AdvancedThe open voicing requires precise finger placement to avoid muting the open G and B strings while fretting the adjacent D and A strings.
Open · G on top
E minor major 7th is played in open position as 0 2 1 0 0 3: middle finger on the A string at fret 2, index finger on the D string at fret 1 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 3. The low E, G and B strings ring open.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | open | — | E (1) |
| 5 (A) | 2 | 2 | B (5) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 | D♯ (7) |
| 3 (G) | open | — | G (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | open | — | B (5) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 3 | G (♭3) |
2nd fret
E minor major 7th is played at the 2nd fret as × × 2 4 4 3: index finger on the D string at fret 2, ring finger on the G string at fret 4, pinky finger on the B string at fret 4 and middle finger on the high e string at fret 3. The low E and A strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 2 | 1 | E (1) |
| 3 (G) | 4 | 3 | B (5) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 4 | D♯ (7) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 2 | G (♭3) |
7th fret
E minor major 7th is played at the 7th fret as × 7 9 8 8 7: barre your index finger across fret 7, pinky finger on the D string at fret 9, middle finger on the G string at fret 8 and ring finger on the B string at fret 8. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 7 | 1 (barre) | E (1) |
| 4 (D) | 9 | 4 | B (5) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 2 | D♯ (7) |
| 2 (B) | 8 | 3 | G (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 7 | 1 (barre) | B (5) |
12th fret
E minor major 7th is played at the 12th fret as 12 14 13 12 12 12: barre your index finger across fret 12, pinky finger on the A string at fret 14 and ring finger on the D string at fret 13.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 12 | 1 (barre) | E (1) |
| 5 (A) | 14 | 4 | B (5) |
| 4 (D) | 13 | 3 | D♯ (7) |
| 3 (G) | 12 | 1 (barre) | G (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 12 | 1 (barre) | B (5) |
| 1 (e) | 12 | 1 (barre) | E (1) |
Why it sounds like that
E minor major 7th combines a minor triad (1, ♭3, 5) with a major seventh (7), giving the formula 1, ♭3, 5, 7. The major seventh D♯ is what gives this chord its distinctive, unresolved quality. Compare it to E minor, which has only the triad and sounds more settled.
What goes wrong with E minor major 7th?
- Flattening the index finger onto the G string, deadening it.
- Pressing the middle finger against the D string, stopping it from ringing.
- Letting the fingers touch the B string, muting it.
When to use it
E minor major 7th works as a tonic in E minor, often moving to E minor or E suspended 4th. It suits dark folk, jazz waltzes, and tense film cues.
Changing to and from E minor major 7th
- Move to E minor by lifting the index finger from the D string, leaving the other fingers in place.
Which voicing to use
The open position is the easiest and has E in the bass. The 12th fret barre voicing gives a fuller sound with the root on the low E string. The 2nd fret voicing omits the low strings for a tighter, higher-register color.
Other E chords
Common questions
How is E minor major 7th written?
E minor major 7th is written Emmaj7, Eminmaj7, or EmM7. The symbol mmaj7 is also used.
Why does the open voicing not mute any strings?
All six open strings are chord tones, so they can all ring. The low E is the root, and the high e is also the root an octave higher.
How does E minor major 7th differ from E minor 7th?
E minor 7th has a minor seventh (D) while E minor major 7th has a major seventh (D♯). The major seventh creates a sharper, more leading-tone pull.
What scale does E minor major 7th come from?
E minor major 7th appears in E harmonic minor and E melodic minor scales. The raised seventh degree of those scales is the D♯ in this chord.