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The Emaj7 chord on guitar: E major with a soft seventh

Emaj7 adds D#, the major seventh, to an E major chord. The result is wide, bright and a little dreamy, the sound of soul ballads, bossa and soft rock. It is also one of the easiest major seventh chords on the guitar: in open position, a single finger slides back one fret from the E chord you already know.

Emaj7 chord: notes and shapes at a glance

  • Name: E major seventh
  • Symbol: Emaj7
  • Notes: E, G#, B, D#
  • Where it belongs: Imaj7 in E major, IVmaj7 in B major, IIImaj7 in C# minor, VImaj7 in G# 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
Emaj7, open 021100 E B D# G# B E The open E chord with the D string lowered to fret 1. Six strings, lots of ring from the open E strings.
Emaj7, four strings xx2444 E B D# G# The Dmaj7 shape moved up two frets. Root on the D string, soft and compact.
Emaj7, seventh fret x79897 E B D# G# B The movable A shape major seventh, root on the fifth string. The way out of open strings.
Emaj7, open 0 2 1 1 0 0 · 3 1 2 · · fingers
Emaj7, four strings x x 2 4 4 4 · · 1 2 3 4 fingers
Emaj7, seventh fret x 7 9 8 9 7 · 1 3 2 4 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.

Emaj7 on the neck: every E, G#, B, D#

Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of Emaj7: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still Emaj7.

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 the open Emaj7

  1. Third finger on the fifth string (A) at fret 2: B, the fifth.
  2. First finger on the fourth string (D) at fret 1: D#, the major seventh.
  3. Second finger on the third string (G) at fret 1: G#, the major third.
  4. Strum all six strings. Both E strings and the B string ring open.

The first and second fingers sit side by side at fret 1, on neighboring strings. Tuck them in close to the fret and keep them arched: the open B string, just below, is the one that gets muted by accident.

Compared with E major (022100), only the D string changes: E at fret 2 becomes D# at fret 1. That is why the open fingering moves the fingers around. If it feels awkward, start from E and slide just that one note down.

E, Emaj7, E7: the line on the D string

Here is the clearest way to hear what a major seventh is. Hold the E chord and walk the D string down one fret at a time.

Chord Shape D string Color
E 022100 fret 2, E Solid, at home
Emaj7 021100 fret 1, D# Soft, floating
E7 020100 open, D Bluesy, leaning toward A
A x02220 fret 2, E Arrival

E, D#, D, then the A chord: a descending line inside the chords, while the rest of the shape barely moves. It is a classic way to turn the I chord into the IV, and it teaches your ear the difference between E7 and Emaj7 better than any explanation.

Progressions with Emaj7

In the key of E, Emaj7 is the home chord, and the other major seventh of the key is Amaj7. These loops keep the soft color going, four beats per chord.

Progression Shapes
Emaj7, Amaj7 021100, x02120
Emaj7, C#m, Amaj7, B 021100, x46654, x02120, x24442
Emaj7, F#m7, G#m7, Amaj7 x79897, 242222, 464444, x02120

The last one climbs the key step by step: I, ii, iii, IV. The barred shapes come from the barre chords page, and chords in every key lists the seventh chords of every major key.

Emaj7 without open strings

x79897 is the major seventh shape with its root on the fifth string, the same one you would play as Bmaj7 at the second fret (x24342). First finger across fret 7, third finger on the D string at fret 9, second finger on the G string at fret 8, fourth finger on the B string at fret 9. Slide it anywhere: the root under the first finger names the chord.

xx2444 is smaller: the Dmaj7 shape moved up two frets, root on the D string. It suits fingerpicking and the higher, lighter parts of an arrangement.

Frequently asked questions

How do you play Emaj7 on guitar?
The easiest version is 021100: third finger on the A string at fret 2, first finger on the D string at fret 1, second finger on the G string at fret 1. Strum all six strings. It is an open E chord with the finger on the D string moved back one fret.
What notes are in an Emaj7 chord?
Four: E, G#, B and D#. Root, major third, fifth and major seventh. D# is the note that gives the chord its soft, dreamy color.
What is the difference between E7 and Emaj7?
One note, a half step apart. E7 has D natural, the minor seventh, and sounds bluesy and restless: it wants to go to A. Emaj7 has D#, the major seventh, and sounds calm and suspended. They are not interchangeable.
Is Emaj7 hard to play?
Not if you know E major. The open shape uses the same three fingers; only the one on the D string changes fret. The usual problem is the first finger at fret 1 touching the open B string: come down on its tip.
Can I play Emaj7 instead of E?
Sometimes. Emaj7 still works as the home chord in E, but its color is very different: gentle and jazzy instead of bright and solid. In a ballad it can be lovely; in a rock song it usually sounds out of place. Try both and let the melody decide.
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.