E guitar chord
E (E major) is built from E, G# and B, the degrees 1–3–5. On guitar, the main shape is 0 2 2 1 0 0, the first diagram, marked with the star.
Remember the first chord you ever learned? Odds are it looked a lot like this one. E major is the sound of "we made it": the song lands on it and your shoulders drop on their own. Tap the player below and notice — nothing missing, nothing extra.
Hear E before you play
Why E sounds this way
Go back to the audio and catch the arpeggio note by note. There are only three: E, G# and B. The middle one is the one that matters. That's the major third, and it's what gives this chord its wide-open-day face — remember the name, because in a minute we'll move exactly that note and you'll hear the weather change.
How to play E on guitar
On the guitar, six strings give the chord room to breathe — some positions use them all, others ask you to mute the lowest ones. So start with the first position below — it uses 3 open strings, so the guitar does half the work for you — it's the main shape — that's why it carries the ⭐. One tip from someone who's watched a lot of people get stuck: play the notes one by one before strumming. If one sounds muffled, a finger is touching the next string. Adjust, try again. Everyone goes through it; it doesn't last.
In the app: 29 E shapes on 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 · use it in Chord and Fret
Above, the same E, higher up the neck. No rush — but the day a song wants this chord brighter and tighter, you'll already have the address.
Left-handed? Mirror's right here
E notes and degrees
E stacks the root E, the major third G# and the perfect fifth B.
Where E shows up
So where does this chord show up in real life? Almost always as III in C# minor, VII in F# minor, VI in G# minor. Don't memorize that — just notice that the same shape plays different roles in different songs, the way a word changes meaning with the sentence.
Transpose & Capo: Need it in another key? Transpose the progression for free; finding the best capo is part of Pro · see 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
Real songs pass through here: Rock · classic Mixolydian · Rock · blues frame · Reggae · minor vamp · Forró · simple I-IV-V · Blues · 12-bar blues · Blues · 12-bar blues
Where E usually goes
Treating E as the home chord (I) of its key, it tends to go toward the pre-dominant (F#m / A) or the dominant (B / D#°), and the dominant pulls back home. Typically, not a rule.
Going beyond E
When the solo comes around, E Ionian (E F# G# A B C# D# · 1 2 3 4 5 6 7: the plain major scale, where everything starts); E Lydian (E F# G# A# B C# D# · 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7: the major scale with a raised fourth — one extra step of daydream) fit entirely. The swaps below are for when your ear gets bored of the obvious.
E Ionian
In the app: the 7 positions of E Ionian on guitar
With degree, note and finger labels on each one, free. Playing the whole scale is part of Pro.
The same E Ionian 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.
Scale: The scale's positions across the neck, with degree, note and finger labels, free; playing the scale and the tempo-ramp exercise are part of Pro · open in Chord and Fret
Scales to improvise over E
To improvise over E as home, the E Ionian scale fits entirely: 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:
- C#m7C#m7C#m7C#m7 — Relative minor (vi) — same tonic function
- G#m7G#m7G#m7G#m7 — Mediant (iii) — tonic function
Reharmonize: Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize's Subtle and Medium levels are free; Bold and Jazz are part of Pro · try it in Chord and Fret
One last test: play E and let it ring. Comfortable, right? Exactly. Now come see what happens when we add one note and take that comfort away: E7.
E chord questions
What notes are in the E chord?
The E chord is made of the notes E, G# and B.
How do you play E on guitar?
Form the shape from string 6 to string 1: 0 2 2 1 0 0. “0” means play it open.
What chord comes after E?
Treating E as the home chord (I) of its key, it tends to go toward the pre-dominant (F#m / A) or the dominant (B / D#°), and the dominant pulls back home. Typically, not a rule.
What scale works over E?
To improvise over E as home, the E Ionian scale fits entirely: it contains every note of the chord. The best fit depends on the key, the surrounding chords and the tensions you want.