How Can You Play the E minor Chord on the Piano? Let's Find Out!

Find out the notes that are in the E minor chord and how to play this chord in root position, 1st inversion, and 2nd inversion on the piano.

Table of Contents

What Notes Make up the E minor Chord?

The symbol for the E minor chord is Em and the notes of the Em chord are E – G – B.

The Em chord is a triad because it has three notes: root (E), minor third (G), and perfect fifth (B).

How Do You Play the E minor Chord on the Piano?

The picture below shows how to play the notes of the E minor chord on the piano in root position:

Notes of the E minor chord in root position

You can see that the first note from the left is E (the root), the second note is G (the minor third), and the third note is B (the perfect fifth).

What is the Lowest Note in the E minor Chord?

Assuming that you are playing the Em chord in root position the lowest note is E. This is the root note.

How Can You Remember the Em Chord?

Here is how to remember the notes of the E minor:

Start from the first note of the chord (the root) that for the E minor chord is E.
To find the second note of the chord calculate a minor third from the root (G).
Then to find the third note of the chord calculate the perfect fifth from the root (B).

This applies if you are playing the E minor chord in root position.

What is the 1st Inversion of the E minor Chord?

The 1st inversion of the Em chord starts with the note G.

The picture below shows how to play the notes of the E minor chord on the piano in the first inversion:

Notes for the 1st inversion of the E minor chord

In the 1st inversion, you shift the root of the Em chord (E) up one octave compared to the root position.

The notes of the Em chord in the 1st inversion are G – B – E.

How Do You Make the 2nd Chord Inversion for Em?

The 2nd inversion of the Em chord starts with the note B.

Below you can see how to play the notes of the second inversion of the E minor chord on the piano:

In the 2nd inversion, you also shift the third of the Em chord (G) up one octave.

The notes of the 2nd inversion of the Em chord are B – E – G.

Also considering that the Em chord is a triad (it consists of three notes) there is no 3rd inversion because it would be the same as the root position.

What Are Other E Chords?

The following articles show you how to play other E chords:

How Can You Play the E minor Chord on the Piano? Let’s Find Out!