E Minor Chord

The E minor chord (Em) contains E, G and B. Follow the highlighted keys, hear the notes separately, then play the three-note chord together.

E minor: Em
Chord tones: EGB
Formula: 1♭35

Position

Root positionFirst inversionSecond inversion

Notes from low to high

E4G4B4

Bass: E4

Simple reference tone; not a recording of an acoustic piano.

Numbers after note letters identify octaves, not fingers. C4 is middle C.

Start here

Play the E Minor Chord: E, G and B

Use the diagram as a three-note checklist: E, G, B. In root position, E is the lowest note. You can begin by locating the keys on the page, then use the same note names to find them on your keyboard.

Hear the Notes Together or One at a Time

Play chord sounds the selected notes together. Play notes one at a time lets you hear each pitch in order from low to high. Compare both ways before trying to play the E minor chord yourself. The letters stay the same whether the notes sound separately or together.

Three keys, one step at a time

Find E and Build Em on White Keys

Look for a group of two black keys. The white key immediately to the right is E. From E, skip F to find G, then skip A to find B. The marked example uses E4, G4 and B4, all above middle C.

Find E
Look immediately to the right of two black keys.
E4
Add G
Skip the next white key, F, to reach G.
E4–G4
Add B
Skip A to reach B. Keep all three notes.
E4–G4–B4

Use the Groups of Black Keys as Landmarks

You can check B by finding the white key immediately to the right of a group of three black keys. These landmarks repeat along the keyboard. Choose one register first instead of jumping between distant E, G and B keys.

How the E Minor Chord Is Built

E is the root, G is the minor third and B is the perfect fifth. The formula is 1–♭3–5, with the tones 0, 3 and 7 semitones above E. All three happen to be white keys; the intervals determine the minor quality.

Keep Octaves and Fingers Separate

E4 means the E in a particular octave. It does not mean “use finger 4.” The numbers in a hand example tell you which fingers to try, while numbers attached to note names tell you where the notes are.

Try Em with Either Hand

For E4–G4–B4, try right-hand fingers 1–3–5: thumb on E, middle finger on G and little finger on B. As a separate left-hand example, try fingers 5–3–1 from the lowest note upward: little finger on E, middle finger on G and thumb on B.

Suggested fingers for E4–G4–B4 · low to high
Note	Right hand	Left hand
E4	1	5
G4	3	3
B4	5	1

1 = thumb; 2 = index; 3 = middle; 4 = ring; 5 = little finger. The numbering is the same for both hands.

Try each hand separately. These numbers apply to this root-position example; the inversion diagrams below show notes without assigning fingers.

About these finger examples

Try these as separate one-hand examples. They are starting suggestions for the exact notes shown, not a required hand shape. Hand size and the notes before and after the chord may call for a different choice.

Source: Piano Chord’s Em fingering reference. The source supplies the root-position hand numbers. PianoGrid places those notes in the octave shown here; the practice patterns are PianoGrid examples.

Root-Position Fingering Examples

Find the keys with one hand before sounding the chord. Play E, G and B separately once, then try pressing the three keys together. These finger numbers are starting suggestions for the exact example shown; they are not a rule for every register or musical passage.

Check G Before Moving On

If you have chosen G♯ instead of G, the notes E–G♯–B form E major. Return to G natural to play the E minor chord. If you have the correct letters but the sound is in another register, compare the octave numbers rather than changing the chord formula.

Read left- and right-hand finger numbersCheck the thumb-to-little-finger numbering.
Compare the E major chordKeep E and B, and compare G with G♯.

Put the notes together

Check Your Notes and Play a Four-Beat Pattern

This short pattern gives each note its own turn before the whole chord sounds. It is a practice example for this page, not an excerpt from a song. Read the four steps, listen, and repeat at a pace that leaves time to find each key.

Count 1, 2, 3, 4

75 beats per minute

1E4One note
2G4One note
3B4One note
4E4–G4–B4Together

Press a play button to hear a reference tone.

The demonstration plays once. Try the same pattern slowly on your piano, then press Play four beats to repeat it.

Interactive practice

Build Em on the Keyboard

Select the three pitch classes that make E minor, then check your answer.

This one-octave exercise checks pitch classes. Order and octave do not affect the result; fingering and live performance are not assessed.

3Choose three pitch classes

One octave, C through B. Select a key again to remove it.

Selected: none

Choose notes, then check your answer.

Show the non-interactive answer

Em uses the pitch classes E, G, B. JavaScript is required to select keys and receive feedback.

Play E, G, B, Then the Whole Chord

On beat 1, play E4. On beat 2, play G4. On beat 3, play B4. On beat 4, sound E4–G4–B4 together. Release each single note before moving to the next step. Then repeat the pattern, keeping the letters and register unchanged.

Use the Note Check as a Separate Task

The keyboard exercise checks whether you selected E, G and B. It accepts the three pitch classes in any order. That makes it a useful memory check, but it does not score the four-beat pattern, your fingers or the timing of a real piano performance.

Read Em/G and Em/B Inversions

Once you know E–G–B, compare the same chord tones in another order. Em/G puts G at the bottom, and Em/B puts B at the bottom. The table and diagram show one reference voicing for each position.

One reference voicing for each position. The highlighted row follows the keyboard above.
Position	Symbol	Notes, low to high	Bass
Root position, current selection	Em	E4–G4–B4	E4
First inversion	Em/G	G4–B4–E5	G4
Second inversion	Em/B	B3–E4–G4	B3

These reference examples use selected registers. Switching positions can move down as well as up; the lowest chord tone identifies the inversion.

The Lowest Note Identifies the Inversion

Read the bass label first. In Em/G, E remains the chord root even though G is the lowest sounding note. The slash does not ask you to replace the chord with G major. Em/B follows the same rule with B in the bass.

Changing Position Does Not Add Notes

The selected examples use different registers, so the second inversion may move downward on the diagram. That is still a valid second inversion. Look for the three pitch classes E, G and B and identify which one is lowest. The root-position finger numbers are not assigned to the inversion examples.

Keep learning

E Minor Chord Questions and Next Steps

Use the questions below when you want a quick answer about Em. For a longer practice session, choose a chord progression and return here whenever you need to check the E minor chord or one of its bass-note symbols.

What Changes If I Play G♯?

Only the third changes when E and B stay fixed: E–G–B is Em, and E–G♯–B is E major. Try the listening comparison after you can locate both G and G♯. Keep the same register so you can focus on that one pitch change.

Print the Notes, Then Continue

Use Print this position for the selected diagram and note order, or open the downloadable E minor reference. The full E minor scale is a separate sequence of notes; the chord asks for just E, G and B. Follow the scale link when you want to study that wider pattern.

Hear E minor and E majorContinue the one-note listening comparison.
Compare E minor scale notesRead the full scale separately from the Em triad.
Practice piano chord progressionsChoose a pattern and key in the progression tool.

Quick answers

What notes are in the E minor chord?

E, G and B. The chord symbol is Em; the root-position example here is E4–G4–B4.

What is the formula for E minor?

1–♭3–5: the root E, minor third G and perfect fifth B.

Does changing the inversion make it a different chord?

No. Em/G and Em/B keep E, G and B while putting G or B in the bass.

Does Em use any black keys?

Not in the E–G–B triad. All three notes are white keys, but that does not mean every minor chord uses only white keys.

Is Em the same as E major?

No. Em uses G natural and E major uses G♯. Both retain E and B.

Do E4, G4 and B4 tell me which fingers to use?

No. Those numbers identify octaves. Finger numbers appear separately in the suggested hand examples.

PianoGrid