CHORD REFERENCE

Em(maj7)

E – G – B – D♯1 b3 5 7

The E Minor–Major 7th chord and everything around it — the notes and how they are built, the shape on piano and guitar, the sound, and the keys it belongs to.

Notes
E1Gb3B5D♯7

Em(maj7) is E, G, B, D# — the 1, b3, 5 and 7 above the root E.

Piano
EGBD♯
Guitar

Guitar — every position (frets 0–12)

357912eEGBD♯EBBD♯EGBGGBD♯EGDD♯EGBABD♯EGEEGBD♯E

Root notes are red. There is no standard open shape for this chord — any group of these notes on the neck sounds the chord.

Ukulele (standard G–C–E–A)

357912ABD♯EGEEGBD♯ECD♯EGBGGBD♯EG

Every position of the chord tones on the ukulele neck — any group that sounds only E, G, B, D# plays the chord.

In which keys

Em(maj7) is a colour chord — it is not diatonic to a plain major or minor key, which is what gives it its character. It shows up as a borrowed chord, an altered dominant, or a passing sound.

Other E chords

Triads

EMajorEmMinorE5Power Chord (5)EdimDiminishedEaugAugmentedEsus2Suspended 2ndEsus4Suspended 4th

Sixths & sevenths

E6Major 6thEm6Minor 6thE7Dominant 7thEmaj7Major 7thEm7Minor 7thEdim7Diminished 7thEm7♭5Half-Diminished (m7♭5)E7sus47sus4

Altered dominants

E7♭57♭5E7♯57♯5 (Augmented 7th)E7♭97♭9E7♯97♯9 (Hendrix Chord)

Extended & added

Eadd9Added 9thE6/96/9E9Dominant 9thEmaj9Major 9thEm9Minor 9thE11Dominant 11thE13Dominant 13th
Minor–Major 7th on another root
CC♯D♭DE♭EFF♯GA♭AB♭B
Keep exploring

Work out the chords of a whole key with the Scale & Chord Finder, name a chord from its notes with the Chord Identifier, or browse every chord tool. The theory behind how chords are built is in the free Cloud Atelier music guides.