E chords on guitar
Every E chord on guitar: major, minor, sevenths and more, with the easiest shape for each.
E major shapes ranked by difficulty
Each row lists the note on all six strings, from the 6th string to the 1st.
Shape 1 · easiest022100 · no barre 6th string E: E · 5th string A: B · 4th string D: E · 3rd string G: G# · 2nd string B: B · 1st string E: E
Shape 2x79997 · barre 6th string E: muted · 5th string A: E · 4th string D: B · 3rd string G: E · 2nd string B: G# · 1st string E: B
Shape 3x76454 · barre 6th string E: muted · 5th string A: E · 4th string D: G# · 3rd string G: B · 2nd string B: E · 1st string E: G#
Shape 4 · hardest12-14-14-13-12-12 · barre 6th string E: E · 5th string A: B · 4th string D: E · 3rd string G: G# · 2nd string B: B · 1st string E: E
E major without a barre
Other E chords compared with E major
Notes and the selected shape-to-shape fingering change for each chord.
| Chord | Notes | Compared with E | Shape change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Em | E · G · B | Shared notes: E, B; G# changes to G. | 022100 → 022000 No finger stays in place; each finger moves at most 1 fret. |
| E7 | E · G# · B · D | Shared notes: E, G#, B; Adds D. | 022100 → 020100 2 fingers stay in place: index finger on the G string at fret 1; middle finger on the A string at fret 2. |
| Emaj7 | E · G# · B · D# | Shared notes: E, G#, B; Adds D#. | 022100 → 021100 No finger stays in place; each finger moves at most 1 fret. |
| Em7 | E · G · B · D | Shared notes: E, B; Drops G#; adds G, D. | 022100 → 020000 No finger stays in place; each finger moves at most 1 fret up. |
| Esus2 | E · F# · B | Shared notes: E, B; G# changes to F#. | 022100 → 024400 No finger stays in place; each finger moves at most 2 frets up. |
| Esus4 | E · A · B | Shared notes: E, B; G# changes to A. | 022100 → 022200 No finger stays in place; each finger moves at most 1 fret. |
| Eadd9 | E · G# · B · F# | Shared notes: E, G#, B; Adds F#. | 022100 → 024100 2 fingers stay in place: index finger on the G string at fret 1; middle finger on the A string at fret 2. |
| Edim | E · G · Bb | Shared notes: E; G#, B change to G, Bb. | 022100 → 012050 No finger stays in place; each finger moves at most 3 frets. |
| Eaug | E · G# · B# | Shared notes: E, G#; B changes to B#. | 022100 → 032110 2 fingers stay in place: index finger on the G string at fret 1; ring finger on the D string at fret 2. |
Chords that share the most keys with E
Each count lists major and minor keys containing both chords.
C#m
6 shared keys: E major, A major, B major, C# minor, F# minor, G# minor
C#m7
6 shared keys: E major, A major, B major, C# minor, F# minor, G# minor
A
4 shared keys: E major, A major, C# minor, F# minor
Amaj7
4 shared keys: E major, A major, C# minor, F# minor
B
4 shared keys: E major, B major, C# minor, G# minor
8 of the 10 E chords on guitar have an easy shape (no barre, three fingers or fewer, first four frets): Em7, Esus4, E7, Emaj7, Em, E, Eadd9, Esus2.