E Minor Chord
The e minor chord (Em) is E, G, B. Play those 3 notes together and you have it.
It is the iii chord of C Major and turns up in 5 other keys.
The keyboards below are live. Press the notes and the page grades what you played, so you can check the shape without guessing — root position first, then both inversions, which is where chord playing stops sounding like exercises and starts sounding like music.
How To Play E Minor On Piano
Play the E Minor Chord (Root Position)
Tap the highlighted keys — any order.
Right hand: fingers 1, 3 and 5 on E, G, B, thumb on the E.
Left hand: the same notes, fingers 5, 3 and 1, little finger on the E.
Press all the notes at once rather than rolling them, and listen for whether they arrive together. A chord that is nearly simultaneous is the single most common thing that makes playing sound robotic, and it is fixable in a week.
Try it on the keyboard above. Any octave counts.
E Minor First Inversion
Play the E Minor Chord (First Inversion)
Tap the highlighted keys — any order.
G, B, E — the same chord with the third at the bottom.
An inversion is not a new chord. It is the same notes rearranged so your hand does not have to jump. When two chords in a row share notes, playing the second one inverted lets your fingers stay put and the music stops lurching.
Play it on the keyboard above, then play root position again and listen to the difference. The chord is the same; the bottom note changes what it leans towards.
E Minor Second Inversion
Play the E Minor Chord (Second Inversion)
Tap the highlighted keys — any order.
B, E, G — the same chord with the fifth at the bottom.
An inversion is not a new chord. It is the same notes rearranged so your hand does not have to jump. When two chords in a row share notes, playing the second one inverted lets your fingers stay put and the music stops lurching.
Play it on the keyboard above, then play root position again and listen to the difference. The chord is the same; the bottom note changes what it leans towards.
How E Minor Is Built
Count in semitones from the root, E:
| Note | Semitones above the root | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| E | 0 | root |
| G | 3 | minor 3rd |
| B | 7 | perfect 5th |
That pattern is the chord. Move the whole shape up two semitones and you have the same chord on a different root — which is why learning one quality well is worth more than memorising twelve chords separately.
A semitone is the distance to the very next key, black or white. Count them on the keyboard above if the numbers do not mean much yet; they will after a few chords.
Where E Minor Turns Up
Em is a chord of 6 keys. Knowing which is how you work out what to play next.
| Key | Role |
|---|---|
| C Major | iii |
| G Major | vi |
| D Major | ii |
| A Minor | v |
| E Minor | i |
| B Minor | iv |
If a piece is in C Major and this chord appears, it is doing the job of the iii. The other keys give you the same chord with a different meaning, and that is the whole reason a song can pivot from one key to another on a single chord.
Practising E Minor
Five minutes, in this order:
- Right hand, root position. E, G, B, played together, four times.
- Both inversions, in order, up and back down. Say which one you are on.
- Left hand alone, the same three steps. It is always the weaker hand and always the one people skip.
- Hands together, left hand playing just the root while the right hand plays the chord.
- Find it in a piece. A chord you have only met in isolation does not stay learned.
Do not chase speed here. A chord you can place accurately without looking is worth more than four you can nearly place quickly.
Related Topics...
E Minor Scale (Piano): The E minor scale has a clear, open, almost windswept quality that sets it apart from the heavier flat-heavy minor keys. Download free exercises and music.
Key of C Major: The key of C Major: no sharps and no flats, the notes C D E F G A B, and all seven chords — C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim.
Key of G Major: The key of G Major: one sharp (F♯), the notes G A B C D E F♯, and all seven chords — G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em, F♯dim.
Piano Chords: Every piano chord, spelled out and playable: 12 roots across major, minor, diminished, augmented, 7th, maj7, m7, sus2, sus4 and add9.
Keys That Use This Chord
Key of A Minor: The key of A Minor: no sharps and no flats, the notes A B C D E F G, and all seven chords — Am, Bdim, C, Dm, Em, F, G.
Key of D Major: The key of D Major: two sharps (F♯, C♯), the notes D E F♯ G A B C♯, and all seven chords — D, Em, F♯m, G, A, Bm, C♯dim.
Readers Also Look For
E Flat Minor Chord: E Flat Minor (E♭m) is E♭, G♭, B♭. Play it on the keyboard on this page, then learn both inversions and where the chord turns up.
E Flat Minor 7th Chord: E Flat Minor 7th (E♭m7) is E♭, G♭, B♭, D♭. Play it on the keyboard on this page, then learn both inversions and where the chord turns up.
More in This Section
E Minor 7th Chord: E Minor 7th (Em7) is E, G, B, D. Play it on the keyboard on this page, then learn both inversions and where the chord turns up.
E Sus2 Chord: E Sus2 (Esus2) is E, F♯, B. Play it on the keyboard on this page, then learn both inversions and where the chord turns up.