Em7 electric guitar chord
Em7 (E minor seventh) is built from E, G, B and D, the degrees 1–b3–5–b7. On electric guitar, the main shape is 0 2 0 0 0 0, the first diagram, marked with the star.
Em7 is EmEmEmEm with its shoulders down: the same serious subject, told calmly. Give the audio below a listen and hear the change in tone of voice.
Hear Em7 before you play
Why Em7 sounds this way
The recipe: take the Em you know — E, G, B — and add D on top. Now listen to the arpeggio, one note at a time and wait for the fourth note. It doesn't make the chord happy; it takes the weight off its shoulders. That's why bossa nova, neo-soul and the whole of R&B live here.
How to play Em7 on electric guitar
On the electric guitar a chord needs only a few clear notes — the amp sustains them and fills the space, so you mute the strings you are not playing and let the tone carry the rest. So start with the first position below, with 5 open strings on your side — it's the main shape — that's why it carries the ⭐. Four notes sharing the same space, so there's one rule: every single one has to ring. Play it slowly, listen for each voice. A muffled chord here is a double waste.
In the app: 38 Em7 shapes on electric guitar
With the fingering and audio of each one, free. In the app, the arpeggio of each shape is part of Pro.
Precision Tuner: Get in tune before you play: chromatic tuner and reference tones, free in standard tuning · see it in Chord and Fret
Mid-neck positions are the favorites of anyone backing a singer: they leave the treble free for the voice. File it away for that day.
Left-handed? Mirror's right here
Em7 notes and degrees
Em7 stacks the root E, the minor third G, the perfect fifth B and the minor seventh D.
Where Em7 shows up
Now the part beginners rarely get told: Em7's classic job is being the ii — the first piece of the ii–V–I, the most-used sentence in jazz and everything jazz ever touched. Across keys you'll find it as i7 in E minor, v7 in A minor, iv7 in B minor. In other words: this chord is almost never standing still; it's setting something up.
Transpose & Capo: Need it in another key? Transpose the progression for free; finding the best capo is part of Pro · try it in Chord and Fret
Identify Chord: Found a shape on your fretboard? Mark it on the screen and the app names the chord, 5 times a day for free · open in Chord and Fret
Where Em7 usually goes
Treating Em7 as the home chord (i) of a minor key, it usually moves toward the pre-dominant (Am7) or the dominant (B7, from harmonic minor), and the dominant pulls back home. Typically, not a rule.
Going beyond Em7
For improvising, E Dorian (E F# G A B C# D · 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7: the minor scale with a major sixth — the minor that smirks); E Aeolian (E F# G A B C D · 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7: the natural minor, the major scale's relative sibling); E Dorian ♭2 (E F G A B C# D · 1 b2 b3 4 5 6 b7: a dorian with a lowered second) contain the whole chord. And the jazz shapes at the bottom are these same four notes rearranged across the neck: same chord, arranger's polish.
E Dorian
In the app: the 7 positions of E Dorian on electric guitar
With degree, note and finger labels on each one, free. Playing the whole scale is part of Pro.
The same E Dorian in its main shapes along the neck — pick whichever position sits under your hand. The rings mark the guide notes (the 3rd and 7th) that carry this chord's color.
Scales to improvise over Em7
To improvise over Em7 as home, the E Aeolian scale covers it whole: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want. And when the dominant (B) pulls back, the leading tone Eb is the note that wants to resolve home.
Swaps that work:
Reharmonize: Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize's Subtle and Medium levels are free; Bold and Jazz are part of Pro · use it in Chord and Fret
Em7 jazz voicings
Jazz Lab: Drop 2 voicings in any key, free; drop 3 and shell are part of Pro · open in Chord and Fret
Remember I said it's setting something up? This is it: A7. Play Em7 → A7 and you've just built half a ii–V — the gear that's been turning jazz for a hundred years.
Em7 chord questions
What notes are in the Em7 chord?
The Em7 chord is made of the notes E, G, B and D.
How do you play Em7 on electric guitar?
Form the shape from string 6 to string 1: 0 2 0 0 0 0. “0” means play it open. The shape starts at fret 2.
What chord comes after Em7?
Treating Em7 as the home chord (i) of a minor key, it usually moves toward the pre-dominant (Am7) or the dominant (B7, from harmonic minor), and the dominant pulls back home. Typically, not a rule.
What scale works over Em7?
To improvise over Em7 as home, the E Aeolian scale covers it whole: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want.