How to Build E Minor Chords on the Guitar

Chord building is something guitar players use to form resonant chords. The E minor is one of the easier chords to build. It includes multiple E notes, which is the "base note," and it only requires two fingers on the strings. In major or minor chords, you use three elements of the chromatic scale, the 1, 5 and 3. For a minor, you bring the 3 down a half step. This is how you build the most common "open" form of E minor.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Leave the bottom E string open. E is your 1 or "base" note. It needs to be in the chord to make it an E chord.

2. Put your index finger on the second fret of the A string (second string from bottom). You have a B note, the 5 note of the scale.

3. Place your middle finger on the second fret of the D string (third string from bottom). That's another E note, your base note for the scale.

4. Leave all of the other strings open. You have a G note on the G string, and that is the 3 note of the scale, taken down a half step from G#. On the open B string, you have the B, the 5 note, and on the high E string, you have another E.

5. Strum all of the strings at the same time. You'll hear the sound of a full E chord (including three separate E notes) similar to the major chord but with a minor, more melancholy sound; you get this minor sound by leaving your finger off of the first fret on the G string. To hear both chords for contrast, add your finger to the first fret on the G string and strum again.

Tips & Warnings

• If you find chord building tricky, the above example is a good one. Listening to the difference between E major and E minor shows you a little about music theory and helps you see the "big picture" of chord building, how chords relate to each other. This will be helpful as you continue to build different chords.