E minor seventh
How to play Em7 — Minor seventh
Em7 (Minor seventh)E · G · B · D
Piano samples: Salamander Grand Piano (CC-BY 3.0)
E minor seventh — notes and structure
The Em7 chord is a minor triad with a flat seventh — mellow and soulful, and everywhere in jazz, funk and R&B.
The Em7 minor seventh consists of the notes E, G, B, D. Its interval structure is R–3–5–7 — the root, then each chord tone stacked above it. This is the same chord you see in the interactive finder above, drawn on the piano keyboard with the root circled and every chord tone labelled.
Em7 stacks a minor third (G), a perfect fifth (B) and a minor seventh (D) above the root E.
To play Em7, press the keys E, G, B, D together — the root E is circled on the interactive keyboard above.
What key is Em7 in?
Every note of Em7 belongs to the scales below, so the chord sounds at home in each of these keys — the roman numeral is the degree it sits on.
- C major — the iii chord
- G major — the vi chord
- D major — the ii chord
- A minor — the v chord
Chords that go with Em7
In C major, the chords built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees carry most songs — put Em7 next to these:
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the E minor seventh chord on piano?
- The Em7 chord is made of the notes E, G, B, D. It is a minor triad with a flat seventh — mellow and soulful, and everywhere in jazz, funk and R&B.
- How do you play E minor seventh on the piano?
- Press E, G, B, D at the same time, with the root E as the lowest note. The interactive keyboard above lights up the exact keys.
- What is the minor seventh chord formula?
- Its interval structure is R–3–5–7 above the root — the same shape transposed to any of the twelve keys.
- What key does Em7 belong to?
- Em7 fits C major (where it is the iii chord), G major (where it is the vi chord), D major (where it is the ii chord) — every note of the chord is in those scales.