E Major Chord on Guitar: The Loudest Open Chord

E major is the loudest open chord on guitar. All six strings ring, the bass note is the lowest pitch the guitar produces, and the chord has a brightness that the smaller open chords don't match. It's also the easiest 6-string open chord. Three fingers on adjacent frets, plus three open strings filling in the rest.

E major is built from E, G sharp, and B.

The Standard E Major Fingering

• 1st string (high E): open
• 2nd string (B): open
• 3rd string (G): 1st fret, index finger
• 4th string (D): 2nd fret, ring finger
• 5th string (A): 2nd fret, middle finger
• 6th string (low E): open

Strum all 6 strings. The notes from low to high are E, B, E, G sharp, B, E. The root E appears three times, which is what gives the chord its weight.

The fingering most often taught uses index, middle, ring on strings 3, 5, 4 in that order. Some teachers swap middle and ring. Either works. Whichever feels more natural in your hand is the right answer.

Why E Major Sounds So Big

The 6th string open is E, the lowest pitch the guitar normally plays. Most other open chords mute the 6th string or rely on a higher root. E major leaves the lowest string ringing, which gives the chord a thunderous low end that other chords can't match. This is why E is the home key of so many rock and blues songs. The chord just sounds bigger.

Songs That Use E Major

• "Wild Thing" by The Troggs is built on E, A, B (with brief D).
• "You Really Got Me" by The Kinks uses E as a power chord but the open E rings throughout.
• The blues in E. The most common blues key for guitar. E, A, B7 form the I-IV-V.
• Most rock songs in E. AC/DC's catalog leans heavily on E. Hendrix wrote in E. Eric Clapton blues lives in E.

Common E Major Mistakes

• Index finger flat. The index on the 1st fret of the 3rd string should stand on its tip. If it lays flat, it'll mute the 2nd string and you'll lose the open B.
• Middle and ring fingers crowding. The middle on the 5th string at fret 2 and the ring on the 4th string at fret 2 sit one string apart on the same fret. Each needs to stand on its own tip without leaning into the neighbor.
• Wrist too low. If your wrist hangs below the neck, the fingers approach the strings flat. Lift the wrist slightly so the fingers come down from above.

E Variations

• E7. Lift the ring finger off the 4th string. The open D string gives you the dominant 7th (D natural). Used constantly in blues. The chord wants to resolve to A.
• Em. Lift the index finger off the 3rd string. The open G gives you the minor 3rd. The simplest possible chord change in pop music: E to Em.
• Esus4. Add your pinky on the 2nd fret of the 3rd string. The G sharp becomes A. Sounds unresolved, wants to fall back to E.
• Eadd9. Add the F sharp on the 2nd fret of the high E string with the pinky. Brighter, more open.

The E-Shape Barre Pattern

E major is the source of most barre chords. Move the E shape up the neck with a barre at the new starting fret and you have F (1st fret), F# (2nd), G (3rd), and so on through the entire scale. This is why learning E major cleanly pays dividends for years. The shape under the barre never changes.

Browse all the E-major positions on the fretboard explorer and you'll see the same shape repeating up the neck.

FAQ: E Major Chord Questions

Why does E major use all 6 strings?

Because the open low E and the open high E are both notes in the chord (the root and the 5th respectively). Letting all 6 strings ring gives the chord its full weight and its characteristic low end. Most other open chords have to mute one or two strings.

What's the difference between E and Em?

One note. E major has G sharp on the 3rd string at the 1st fret. E minor leaves the 3rd string open, which gives you G natural. Lift the index finger off and E becomes Em.

Is E the easiest chord to play?

For most beginners, Em is easier (only two fingers). E major adds one finger and one fret position. Among the major open chords, E is comparable to G in difficulty and easier than C or A (which both require three fingers in tighter spaces).

Why is the blues so often in E?

Two reasons. First, the open low E gives the chord a deep root that pickup-equipped electric guitars amplify well. Second, the I-IV-V in E (E-A-B) all have open-position equivalents on guitar, which makes blues licks easy to play and improvise over.

How does E major relate to barre chords?

The E major shape, when slid up the neck with a barre at a new fret, produces every other major chord. F at fret 1, F# at fret 2, G at fret 3, and so on. Learning E major opens up the entire neck for major chords.