In this guitar lesson, we are going to learn 8 beautiful E major chord shapes and how to use them in different chord progressions. The E major is one of the most simple chords on the guitar, and one of the very first chord beginners learn.
But what’s an E major chord?
The E major is a chord played with the notes E G# B. On the guitar this chord is played on the E string open, A and D string fret 2, the G string fret 1, B and top E string open. Check the open E chord diagram below.
There are a lot of different E major chord alternatives on the guitar. Each chord shapes will inspire you to play a different musical idea, a song that you always wanted to learn, or to simple chord changes exercise.
The majority of examples shown in this lesson are played with the fingerpicking technique. The reasons why I prefer the fingerstyle approach over strumming is because with the fingerpicking technique we can single out some of the notes of the chord and make it more exciting and easy to play.
In this lesson we will learn:
- What’s an E major chord.
- How many chords can I play in the E major key?
- 1. The simple E major triad.
- 2. The Eadd9 chord.
- 3. Esus2 and Esus4.
- 4. The Emaj7 chord.
- 5. The Eadd11 chord.
- 6. The E major over G# (E/G#).
- 7. The Emaj9 chord.
- 8. The E#11 chord.
What’s an E Major Chord?
The E major is a chord built on the 1st degree of the E major scale. It’s played with the notes E G# and E, also called Root note, 3rd, and 5th. This type of chord is called triad, which represents the most basic chord in music.
Check the E major chord diagram below to learn how to play the simple E major triad on different chord set of strings. This is indeed the easiest way to play the E major chord.
How Many Chords Can I Play in E Major Key?
If you want to learn how to use the E major chord, then you should determine which chords work best with the E chord. For this reason, we will have to learn the chords in the E major key.
All the chords in the E major family come from the E major scale. The notes of the E major scale are E F# G# A B C# D# E.
We can build a chord from each degree of the scale.
To build chords from the E major scale select the I, III, and V degree starting from each scale degree. The 1st degree is E, which build the E major chord, the 2nd degree is the F#, which build the F# minor chord, the 3rd degree is the G#, which build the G# minor chord, etc.
There are seven chords in the E major key: E major, F# minor, G# minor, G major, A major, B minor, C# diminished
Below, all the chords that you can play in the E major key.
1. The Simple E Major Triad – Closed vs. Open Position
Let me show you how to write a beautiful chord progression with a simple E major triad.
One of the things I don’t like about the basic triad is the way the notes stuck up together. If we use the 1 3 5 formula, then all the notes are played as close together as possible. This way of playing the chord is called closed position.
In this example, I am going to show you how to E major triad in open position, which makes the chord harmonically and melodically more interesting.
I also have a video lesson where I talk about open position chords you can check later on when you are done with this lesson.
Music theory Tip! To play a chord in open position play the 3rd one octave higher.
Let me show you the E major chord diagram played with the close and open position.
Chord Progression With the E Major Open Triad
One of the most common chord progressions with the E major open triads are the ones played with I IV VI V, E major, A major, C# minor, B major.
We are going to use the same chord shape for each chord, except for the C# minor, which will be played slightly different. The E major finger position is the same for the A major and B major chord, which is played with the same interval structure.
The chords will be played sliding up and down the neck; for this reason, I recommend that you learn the root note position for each chord. The root note is played with the first finger. For the E major, the root note is on the D string fret 2. For the A major, on the fret 7. For the C# minor on the fret 11, and the B major on the fret 9.
The example is played with a simple fingerpicking pattern P i P a, thumb, index, thumb, middle.
2. The Eadd9 Chord
The Eadd9 chord is one of the most beautiful E major chord variation you can play on the guitar. The “add9” next to the chord’s name means that an additional note should be added to the chord, which is, of course, the 9th. These type of chords are called “Extended” chords because they add additional notes to the basic chords.
To build the Eadd9 chord select the I, III, V, and IX scale degree. The Eadd9 is played with the notes E G# B F#.
The Eadd9 Chord Shape
Let me show you the Eadd9 chord we will use in this exercise.
One of the reasons why I love the Eadd9 so much is because of the number of different finger positions we can use. There are countless of beautiful options to be played.
For this chord, the notes are E F# G# E. The 9th is played on the G string fret 11 and works perfectly with the major 3rd, G#, on the B string.
This is the chord diagram.
Chord Progression Using the Eadd9 Chord
The chord progression using the Eadd9 chord is very dreamy and beautiful to play. We can play the chords in the same position of the neck and benefit from playing this simple chord shape with different bass notes.
The chords are Eadd9 | C#m6 | Dadd11 | Amaj7(6). Despite the mouthful names, these chords are straightforward to play. The top three strings, the G, B, and E keep the same notes while the bass note will be moving from the note E to C#, to D and A.
One of my favorite chord progressions in E major.
3.The Esus2 and Esus4
Let’s learn the next E major family chord. The Esus2 and Esus4 are suspended chords played without the 3rd.
To play the Esus2 chord lower the 3rd-degree G# down to the 2nd. Select the I, II, and V degree of the E major scale.
To play the Esus4 chord raise the 3rd degree to the 4th. Select the I, IV, and V degree of the E major scale.
Esus2 and Esus4 Chord Shape
The suspended chords can’t be classified as major or minor because the 3rd, which is the note that determines if the chord is either major or minor, is omitted.
The Sus2 and Sus4 can be used in a chord progression to create movement between the notes of the chordCheck this simple example played with the E | Esus2 chords.
Here is the chord diagram for the Esus2 and Esus4 we are going to use in this exercise. The 4th is played on the B string.
Chord Progression Using the Esus2 and Esus4
In this example, we are going to play these two chords in a higher position of the neck so that I can show you how interesting can be to combine fretted notes and open strings above fret five.
The chord progression is very busy, and the chord changes all the time. I recommend that you practice one bar at a time to make each chord change smooth and simple. Some of the chords can be stretchy on the left-hand so take it step-by-step.
4.Emaj7 Chord
The Emaj7 chord is another beautiful extended chord played with the Root note, 3rd, 5th, and 7th chord.
To play the Emaj7 chord select the I, III, V, and VII degree of the E major scale. For the Emaj7 chord, the notes are E G# B D#.
The Emaj7 chord sounds beautiful and dreamy. It’s a chord played in many jazz and folk songs. In this example, we are going to explore the melodic side of the chord played with a simple chord progression and melody.
Emaj7 Chord Shape
This Emaj7 chord shape is simple to play and works perfectly with the fingerpicking technique. The notes are all played on the fret four on the D, G, and B string. To play this Emaj7 chord pluck the low E string, and the D, G, and B string fret four.
Chord Progression Using the Emaj7 Chord
In this chord progression, we are going to combine two maj7 chords, the Emaj7 and the Amaj7 as well as the C#m9 and the Asus2(11) chord.
The chords are plucked simultaneously with a P i m a fingerpicking pattern. Let the chords ring out beautifully.
5.The Eadd11 Chord
The Eadd11 chord is another extended chord played with the Root note, 3rd, 5th, and 11th.
To play the Eadd11 chord select the I, III, V, and XI degree from the E major scale. For the E major chord, the notes are E, G#, B, and A.
The Eadd11 chord works beautifully in the E major key. We can benefit from playing open strings and fretted notes on a high position of the neck and write amazing chords.
First things first, let’s learn the chord shape.
The Eadd11 Chord Shape
This is the chord diagram for the Eadd11 chord.
Chord Progression Using the Eadd11 Chord Shape
It’s time to put this chord into practice. In this chord progression, we are going to play just two chords, the Eadd11 and the Asus2(11).
Both chords keep the same shape, and the bass note is the only thing we will change.
Notice that the fingerpicking pattern is based on two different set of strings.
6.The E Major Over G# (E/G#) – The Slash Chord
A slash chord is a chord played with a different bass note. The E/G# is essentially an E major chord played with the G# on the bass.
The E/G# is a simple triad played in its first inversion.
A chord inversion occurs when either the 3rd or 5th is played as the bass note of the chord. A basic chord can be played in three different forms.
- Fundamental. The chord is played with Root, 3rd, and 5th. (1 3 5)
- First inversion. The chord is played with 3rd, Root, and 5th. (3 1 5)
- Second inversion. The chord is played with 5th, Root, and 3rd. (5 1 3)
Check the Tab below to learn how to play the E major chord in the three different forms.
To play the E/G# chord play the 3rd of the E major chord, the note G#, on the bass note. For the E major chord, the notes are G# E B.
The E/G# Chord Shape
The E/G# chord shape can be quite stretchy on the left hand, so I recommend that you try the chords a few times before playing it with the other chords.
Check the chord diagram below.
Chord Progression Using the E/G# Chord
One of the things that I like the most about this chord progression is the simple bass line played with the thumb. The slash chord makes it easy to create walking bass lines that connect the chords beautifully.
7.The Emaj9
The Emaj9 is a chord played with the Root note, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th. This chord is beautiful and rich.
The only problem guitar players have with the Maj9 chord is the number of notes that should be played. The Maj9 chord is a five notes chord, and we know for a fact that it isn’t easy to play five notes chords on the guitar. For this reason, we usually omit the 5th and only play the Root note, 3rd, 7th, and 9th.
The Emaj9 Chord Shape
This is the Emaj9 chord shape we are going to learn in this lesson.
Chord Progression Using Emaj9 Chord
In this chord progression, we will be playing two chords only. Notice how with extended chords we can create a beautiful melody with just two chords.
The fingerpicking pattern can be quite tricky rhythmically so listen to the example below many times to memorize the rhythmic pattern.
8.The E#11 Chord
Last but not least the E#11 chord, one of my favorite chord on the guitar.
The E#11 is a chord played with the Root note, 3rd, 5th, and #11. It’s a chord built on the IV degree of the B major scale, so it comes from a different key.
To build the E#11 chord select the IV, VI, I, and III degrees of the B major scale. For the E#11 chord, the notes are E G# B A#.
The E#11 Chord Shape
Chord Progression Using the E#11 Chord
The chord progression we are checking out in this lesson is in B major, and it has a lot of beautiful extended chords in it.
The E#11 is built on the 4th degree of the B major scale, and it will be played as the second chord. Notice how the chords all look the same except for the bass note. We have been using this simple trick a lot in this lesson.
Let’s Wrap This Up
I hope you enjoyed this lesson. When you feel ready, use the same chords to write your chord progressions. You can also use the chords to play the songs you love.
Everything you learn should be then played in your music. Make it a rule, and your guitar playing will improve drastically.
Good luck.
Marco.
