3 notes · 1 · ♭3 · 5

E Minor Piano Chord (Em)

E minor is built from E, G and B — the formula 1 · ♭3 · 5, or 3 and 7 semitones above E. The shape uses white keys only, and you can hear it, invert it and compare it below.

Root noteChord type

Chord

E Minor

Notes

E · G · B

Formula

1 · ♭3 · 5

Right hand

1 · 3 · 5

Choose a chord, then play it. Finger numbers run from thumb (1) to little finger (5).

The finder above already holds Em. Press P or the Play chord button to hear E, G, B sounded together, then change the root or the chord type to compare it with something else.

Chord tones

The notes in E minor

A minor triad reverses the major arrangement: a minor third first, then a major third. Only the middle note moves, yet the chord sounds noticeably darker and more inward. Minor triads sit on the second, third and sixth degrees of a major scale, and on the first degree of a minor key.

Each tone of E minor with its interval, scale degree, distance in semitones from E and a suggested right-hand finger.
Note	Interval	Degree	Semitones	Right hand
Ewhite key	Root	1	0	1 · thumb
Gwhite key	Minor third	♭3	3	3 · middle finger
Bwhite key	Perfect fifth	5	7	5 · little finger

Step by step

How to play E minor on piano

Find E: it is the white key immediately right of a group of two black keys.
Build upwards from E using 3 and 7 semitones to reach G and B.
With the right hand, place finger 1 on E, finger 3 on G and finger 5 on B. Keep the wrist level and the knuckles rounded.
Every note here is a white key, so you can sit your hand slightly further out from the fallboard.
Play the notes together, then one at a time from the bottom up, and listen to how E minor settles.
Try first inversion as well: G – B – E. Inversions let you change chords without jumping around the keyboard.

Inversions

E minor in 3 positions

An inversion keeps the same 3 notes and simply moves the lowest one up an octave. Learning them means you can change chords with small hand movements instead of jumping to a new part of the keyboard.

Root position

E – G – B

The root E is the lowest note. This is the shape most people learn first.

First inversion

G – B – E

G is the lowest note, so the minor third sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.

Second inversion

B – E – G

B is the lowest note, so the perfect fifth sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.

In context

Which keys contain E minor

In C major the chord functions as iii. Altogether it is produced by the scales of 6 keys, so learning it once pays off in several places.

C majoriii
D majorii
G majorvi
E minori
A minorv
B minoriv

Chord tones are spelled by the degree they occupy, so the third of a minor chord is written as a flat rather than a sharp even though it is the same key on the piano. A double sharp such as F## means the key one whole tone above F.

Compare

E minor against E major

E minor and E major share E and B. Moving the major third G# down 1 semitone to the minor third G turns E major into E minor.

Practise the pair together: hold the shared notes E, B still and move only the one finger. Hearing that single change is the quickest way to recognise the two chords by ear.

Open E major →

Good questions

E minor questions

What notes are in the E minor chord?

E minor contains E, G and B. Counted from the root, that is the formula 1 · ♭3 · 5, or 3 and 7 semitones above E.

What is the right-hand fingering for E minor?

A comfortable beginner fingering is 1 (thumb) on E, 3 (middle finger) on G and 5 (little finger) on B. Finger numbers run from the thumb (1) to the little finger (5), and they change once you start using inversions.

How is E minor different from E major?

E minor and E major share E and B. Moving the major third G# down 1 semitone to the minor third G turns E major into E minor.

Which keys use the E minor chord?

It occurs naturally in C major (iii), D major (ii), G major (vi), E minor (i), A minor (v) and B minor (iv). The roman numeral shows which degree of the key the chord is built on.

What are the inversions of E minor?

root position is E – G – B, first inversion is G – B – E and second inversion is B – E – G. Every inversion holds the same notes; only the lowest one changes.