Em: guitar chord voicings, inversions, scales and arpeggios

Em (Minor) is an interactive GuitarArcanum page with chord formula, intervals, voicings, inversions, triads, pentatonic patterns, scales and arpeggios on the fretboard.

Chord formula

Interval formula: 1 b3 5. A minor triad — root, minor 3rd and 5th. Stable, but darker and sadder than a major.

Chord tones

Everything as in a major, but the 3rd is lowered — that's what gives the minor quality. The 5th holds the foundation.

Sound character

Dark and sad, but stable — one of the two main qualities in music.

Harmonic function

Most often a minor tonic, and also the ii, iii or vi in a major key.

Typical progressions

C#m – A – E – B
C#m – F#m – G#
i – iv – V

Guitar voicing advice

Open Am, Em, Dm and barre forms from the 6th and 5th strings. They differ from major by one note — the 3rd.

Fretboard voicings for Em

A few curated Em shapes with fret numbers, intervals and root markers.

Em — E shape, frets 1–5

Em — D shape, frets 1–6

Em — C shape, frets 3–8

Em — A shape, frets 6–10

Em — G shape, frets 8–13

Compatible scales for Em

Open interactive scale pages that naturally pair with this chord.

Other chord qualities on the E root

Compare this chord with other qualities sharing the same root.