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The E major chord (E) on guitar

E major is one of the first chords you learn and one of the biggest sounding, because it uses all six strings and three of them ring open. The fastest way in is through E minor: keep the two fingers you already have and add a third on the G string. Then the real work starts, which is not holding E, but leaving it and coming back on time.

E chord: notes and shapes at a glance

  • Name: E major
  • Symbol: E
  • Notes: E, G#, B
  • Where it belongs: I in E major, V in A major, IV in B major, III in C# minor, VII in F# minor, VI in G# minor, V in A minor

Each shape below is written from the thickest string to the thinnest: a number is the fret, 0 an open string, x a string you do not play. New to this? See how to read chord diagrams.

Shape Frets, low E to high E Notes, low to high What it is for
E, open 022100 E B E G# B E The E major chord everyone learns: all six strings, three fingers, the open low E as root.
E, D shape xx2454 E B E G# The D chord shape moved up two frets. Four strings, no open notes, a brighter and lighter E.
E, seventh fret barre x79997 E B E G# B The A shape barred at fret 7. Movable, and handy when the song around it lives up the neck.
E, open 0 2 2 1 0 0 · 2 3 1 · · fingers
E, D shape x x 2 4 5 4 · · 1 2 4 3 fingers
E, seventh fret barre x 7 9 9 9 7 · 1 3 3 3 1 fingers

Read each diagram from the thickest string on the left to the thinnest on the right. A cross means the string is not played, a circle means it rings open.

E on the neck: every E, G#, B

Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of E: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still E.

Fretboard notes
Swipe the fretboard sideways to see every fret.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1 - E
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
2 - B
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
3 - G
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
4 - D
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
5 - A
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
6 - E
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E

How to play E, finger by finger

  1. Second finger on the A string, second fret.
  2. Third finger on the D string, second fret.
  3. First finger on the G string, first fret.
  4. Strum all six strings, from the low E down.

Place the fingers in that order, the order the pick meets them. Then check the chord string by string, from the thickest: open E, B at fret 2, E at fret 2, G# at fret 1, open B, open E. Each one should ring.

From Em (022000), only the first finger moves: it drops onto the G string at the first fret. Play Em, then E, then Em, and listen to G become G#. That half step is the whole difference between minor and major.

Why your E sounds wrong, and the fix

What you hear Likely cause The fix
The B string is dead The first finger lies flat and touches it Come down on the fingertip, with the knuckle arched.
A string buzzes A finger sits too far from its fret wire Slide it right up behind the fret; press less, not more, once it is there.
The chord sounds muddy The strum starts in the middle of the strings Aim for the low E: E is a six string chord.
The change is late The whole hand lifts off between chords Look for the fingers that can stay, or slide, and move only the rest.

Changes to practice with E

E rarely stays alone. These are the changes it shows up in most. Play each pair slowly, four beats per chord, then two.

Change Shapes What to watch
Em to E 022000 to 022100 Only the first finger moves. The easiest change on the guitar.
E to Am 022100 to x02210 The same shape moved one string toward the floor. Keep the finger shape and shift the whole hand. Am starts on the A string.
E to A 022100 to x02220 The second finger can stay near fret 2. Start A's strum on the A string.
E to B7 022100 to x21202 The second finger stays on the A string at fret 2 for both chords: use it as a pivot. B7 starts on the A string.

Two close relatives are worth learning straight after: E7 (020100, lift the third finger) and Esus4 (022200, add the fourth finger on the G string at fret 2). Neither is an E major chord, but each is one finger away.

Where E shows up

E is home in the key of E, the favorite key of blues and rock guitar, because the open low E string is the root. It is the V chord in A major, and in A minor too, where it replaces the natural E minor to pull harder back to Am.

To hear it: Bob Marley's Three Little Birds runs on A, D and E; Sweet Home Chicago is a twelve bar blues in E on E, A and B; the Rolling Stones' Angie sets E against Am, G, F and C. Two different jobs: the first two use E as a home or a turnaround, Angie uses it as the major V of a minor key.

Every chord of every key is on the chords in every key page.

Frequently asked questions

How do you play an E chord on guitar?
Play 022100: second finger on the A string at fret 2, third finger on the D string at fret 2, first finger on the G string at fret 1. The low E, B and high E strings ring open. Strum all six strings, starting from the low E.
What notes are in an E major chord?
Three: E, G# and B. E is the root, G# the major third, B the fifth. In the open shape, E appears three times, B twice and G# once, on the G string.
What is the difference between E and Em?
One finger. Em is 022000; E adds the first finger on the G string at fret 1, which turns G into G#, the major third. That single note changes the chord from minor to major.
Why does my E chord sound muffled?
Usually the B string. The first finger, at fret 1 on the G string, lies too flat and touches the open B just below it. Bring the wrist forward a little and come down on the very tip of the first finger so the B string rings free.
What chords go with E?
In the key of E, A and B (or B7) are the usual partners: E, A, B7 is the backbone of countless blues and rock songs. E is also the V chord of A major and of A minor, which is why it turns up so often next to Am.
Yohann Abbou, guitar teacher and founder of Guitar Social Club

Who made this

Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris who teaches adults. Every shape on this page is written string by string and checked against standard tuning, and the diagrams are drawn from those same fret numbers. The rest of our free guitar tools, including the chord finder, work the same way.

More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.