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E major chord

  1. Emi
  2. G#sol#
  3. Bti
Root positionRight hand 1-3-5

E chord notes

E major stacks a major third on its root and a minor third on top, four semitones and then three. It sounds bright and settled, and chord charts write it as E.

NoteInterval from the rootSemitones
EmiRoot10
G#sol#Major third34
BtiPerfect fifth57
All piano chords

E chord inversions

An inversion plays the same notes with a different one at the bottom. Using E's inversions keeps your hand close to the next chord, so you move less between chords.

  1. Root position

    E, G#, B

    Right hand
    1-3-5
    Left hand
    5-3-1

  2. First inversion

    G#, B, E

    Right hand
    1-2-5
    Left hand
    5-3-1

  3. Second inversion

    B, E, G#

    Right hand
    1-3-5
    Left hand
    5-2-1

Keys that use E

In these major keys E is one of the key's own chords. The numeral beside each key is its place in that key, as chord charts write it.

  • E majorI
  • A majorV
  • B majorIV

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Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the E chord?

E major (E) is E, G#, B. In solfège that's mi, sol#, ti.

Which fingers play E?

In root position, the right hand plays 1-3-5 and the left hand 5-3-1, counting from the lowest note. The thumb is 1 and the little finger is 5.

Where does the E chord usually show up?

A major chord is the home chord of its own key and the IV and V of two neighbouring keys, so E turns up at the start and end of phrases and in almost every pop accompaniment.