The E major chord uses E, G-sharp and B. G-sharp is the major third above E; B is the perfect fifth.
The triad has one black key, G-sharp. The key signature of E major contains more sharps, but a chord symbol E does not ask you to play all the notes of that scale. It names this particular three-note chord. E to G-sharp is four semitones; E to B is seven. G-sharp and A-flat can share a piano key, but G-sharp is the third-letter spelling above E. An E major triad is therefore written E–G♯–B, not E–A♭–B.
Read each bass note before selecting a position. The root-position example starts with E; first inversion starts with G♯; second inversion starts with B. The chord tones stay the same. These are independently chosen reference registers, not an ascending exercise. Switching a position must update the selected note order, diagram, sound and current-print snapshot together. Hand numbers, when available, apply only to the root example.
| Position | Symbol | Notes, low to high | Bass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position, current selection | E | E4–G♯4–B4 | E4 |
| First inversion | E/G♯ | G♯4–B4–E5 | G♯4 |
| Second inversion | E/B | B4–E5–G♯5 | B4 |
These are separate one-hand starting examples for the root-position voicing. Change to an inversion and the finger numbers are intentionally withheld.
Separate right-hand example for the displayed root-position voicing E4–G♯4–B4. The source supplies these chord-tone and hand-number pairings, not this octave placement. This is a starting example, not a universal rule; no fingering is assigned to the inversions.
Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom / University of Puget Sound
Supports: Triad construction, major/minor intervals.
Scope limit: General rule; exact PianoGrid registers, diagrams, exercises and explanations are original applications.
Checked 2026-09-11 · PG-TRIADSOpen Music Theory
Supports: Chord quality, chord members, inversion and lead-sheet conventions.
Scope limit: Not a source for our hand-specific fingerings or recordings.
Checked 2026-09-11 · PG-OMTOpen Music Theory
Supports: Written note letters and octave numbering.
Scope limit: Cb4 = MIDI 59 is a derived application of the notation rule, not a quotation of a PianoGrid example.
Checked 2026-09-11 · PG-ASPNSkoove
Supports: Root-position E–G♯–B; right hand 1–3–5 and left hand 5–3–1.
Scope limit: The root-position hand numbers are shown by the source. It does not specify PianoGrid’s E4–G♯4–B4 register. We do not adopt song lists, mood labels or inversion fingerings.
Checked 2026-09-11 · PG-SKOOVE-E-MAJORCommon names: E, E major, Emaj.
Intervals from the root: perfect unison, major third, perfect fifth.
Keep E and B fixed. E major uses G-sharp, while E minor uses G natural. Test the difference with E4–G♯4–B4 and E4–G4–B4.
The root-position builder on this page still asks for E major. A written comparison is useful for self-checking, but it does not add an E-minor mode or claim to assess your playing.
In A major, the chord on scale degree 5 is E major. In an A-minor context, using G-sharp supplies the raised leading tone A minor often uses in its dominant chord. The destination and surrounding harmony supply that context.
Compare E4–G♯4–B4 with E4–A4–C5. The latter is Am/E, not root-position Am, because E is the bass. The shared E stays fixed while the other two notes move.
Name the three chord tones before looking back at the answer. Then name the bass of the first inversion. These are written self-checks, not additional scored modes.
The black key between G and A. It is the only black key in the root-position E major example.
A plain E chord symbol normally denotes the major triad. Em specifies E minor.
An E major chord with G-sharp as the lowest sounding note: its first inversion.
Moving B into the bass changes the inversion, not the E–G-sharp–B chord-tone set.
The page uses the site’s user-triggered reference tone. This content pack does not supply or license an acoustic piano recording.
Select the three pitch classes that make E major, then check your answer.
This keyboard checks an unordered pitch-class set. Order, octave, fingering and live piano performance are not assessed.
One octave, C through B. Select a key again to remove it.
Chord tones: E–G♯–B · Formula: 1, 3, 5
Dots mark the notes to play. C4 is middle C. Numbers identify octaves, not fingers.