Em7 Piano Chord (E Minor 7th)

The Em7 piano chord (E minor 7th) has 4 notes: E, G, B and D. Below you'll find root position and 3 inversions with diagrams, how to play it step by step, the keys it belongs to and common progressions that use it.

Em7 piano chord: E G B DEGBD
Root position: E G B D
Notes
E – G – B – D
Formula
1 – ♭3 – 5 – ♭7
Type
minor 7th

Transpose a song

Em7 on piano: root position and inversions

  • Em7 Root position piano chord: E G B DEGBD
    Root position E – G – B – D
  • Em7 1st inversion piano chord: G B D EGBDE
    1st inversion G – B – D – E
  • Em7 2nd inversion piano chord: B D E GBDEG
    2nd inversion B – D – E – G
  • Em7 3rd inversion piano chord: D E G BDEGB
    3rd inversion D – E – G – B

How to play Em7 on piano

  1. E is the white key just right of a group of two black keys. That is the root.
  2. Add G (minor 3rd above), B (perfect 5th above) and D (minor 7th above): press E, G, B and D together.
  3. With 4 notes, you can also play the root with your left hand and the other notes with your right.
  4. For a smoother change between chords, try an inversion (the same notes with a different one at the bottom), shown above.

Em7 notes and intervals

NoteFormulaInterval from the root
E 1 root
G ♭3 minor 3rd
B 5 perfect 5th
D ♭7 minor 7th

Inversions: the same notes with another one in the bass, written as slash chords: Em7/G (1st inversion), Em7/B (2nd inversion) and Em7/D (3rd inversion).

Em7 or EM7? A small "m" means minor: Em7 is E minor 7th (E, G, B and D). A capital "M", as in EM7, means major 7th: the same chord as Emaj7.

Em7 on guitar and ukulele

  • Em7 guitar chord: 022030234
    Em7 guitar chord 022030
  • Em7 ukulele chord: 020212
    Em7 on ukulele 0202

Which keys use Em7?

Em7 is one of the basic chords of 6 keys. Its number (Roman numeral) and job change with the key:

KeyWrittenNumeralFunction
C major Em7 iii7 tonic or dominant
A minor Em7 v7 dominant
G major Em7 vi7 tonic
E minor Em7 i7 tonic
D major Em7 ii7 predominant
B minor Em7 iv7 predominant

Progressions with Em7

  • ii–V–I in D major: Em7 – A7 – Dmaj7 A cadence that is extremely common in jazz.
  • iiø–V–i in E minor: F♯m7♭5 – B7 – Em7 The minor ii–V–i of jazz.

Transpose Em7

Move the chord up or down by semitones to see its name and notes in another key.

Em7 E G B D original

Minor 7th chords on every root: Bm7 Cm7C♯m7Dm7E♭m7Em7Fm7F♯m7Gm7A♭m7Am7B♭m7

Frequently asked questions

What is Em7/D chord?

Em7/D means Em7 with D as the lowest note. D is the 7th of the chord, so Em7/D is the 3rd inversion of Em7: the same notes, E, G, B and D, with D at the bottom.

What notes are in the Em7 chord?

Em7 has 4 notes: E, G, B and D. Its formula is 1 – ♭3 – 5 – ♭7: E is the root, G a minor 3rd, B a perfect 5th and D a minor 7th above it.

How do you play Em7 on piano?

E is the white key just right of a group of two black keys. From there, press E, G, B and D together. With four or more notes, you can also play the root with your left hand and the other notes with your right.

What key is Em7 in?

Em7 is iii7 in C major, v7 in A minor, vi7 in G major, i7 in E minor, ii7 in D major and iv7 in B minor. The other 7th chords of C major are Cmaj7, Dm7, Fmaj7, G7, Am7 and Bm7♭5.

What is a minor 7th chord?

A minor 7th chord is a minor chord plus a minor 7th (1–♭3–5–♭7). In a major key, the ii, iii and vi chords are minor 7ths.

What are the inversions of Em7?

Root position: E – G – B – D; 1st inversion: G – B – D – E; 2nd inversion: B – D – E – G; 3rd inversion: D – E – G – B (lowest note first). Each inversion moves the lowest note up an octave; the chord keeps its name.

More chords

Related piano chords: Em Bm7

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