What notes are in an E major chord?

E major contains three notes: E (the root), G♯ (the major third), and B (the perfect fifth).

How do you play an E major chord on guitar?

The standard open voicing: middle finger on the 2nd fret of the 5th string (B), ring finger on the 2nd fret of the 4th string (E — one octave above), index finger on the 1st fret of the 3rd string (G♯). The 6th, 2nd, and 1st strings ring open as E, B, and E.

Is E major the same as the E chord in blues?

Almost. The "E chord" in classic 12-bar blues is often E7 (E–G♯–B–D), which adds a flat seventh on top of E major. Pure E major is the simpler triad, and depending on the song you may use either.

What's the difference between E major and E minor?

Only the third changes. E major uses G♯; E minor uses G natural. The root (E) and fifth (B) are the same in both. On guitar, the difference is one finger: lift the index off the 3rd string in an E major shape and you're playing E minor.

E major chord — notes, intervals, and practice

E major is the brightest of the standard rock and blues keys, and also the natural home of the guitar. The lowest and highest strings on a six-string guitar are both tuned to E, so an E major chord rings through the entire instrument with sympathetic resonance unmatched by any other key. The chord contains E, G♯, and B.

Intervals

The E major chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:

E→G#major 3rd4 semitones
G#→Bminor 3rd3 semitones
E→Bperfect 5th7 semitones

On the keyboard

Each note of the E major chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.

On the guitar

One voicing of the E major chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.

Common mistakes

E major's key signature has four sharps — F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯ — and the third of the chord is G♯. Beginners writing in E major often miss the G♯ because it's the third and feels "secondary" to the root and fifth, but G natural in an E chord makes it E minor. The 12-bar blues in E (E–A–B7) is so common that some players forget the proper third altogether and just play parallel power chords (E5, A5, B5), which sidesteps the major/minor distinction. That's fine for blues but obscures the harmonic logic.

In context

The 12-bar blues in E (E–A–B7) is the most-played progression in rock and blues history. E major is also the I chord of E major, the V chord of A major, the IV chord of B major, and the VI chord of G♯ minor. On guitar, the I–IV–V in E (E–A–B) all sit in open or first-position chords, which is why so much electric blues is in this key.

Drill it

The E major chord is one of 48 in the Chord Trainer. Open the full trainer to practice it alongside related chords with timing and best-time tracking.

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Frequently asked

What notes are in an E major chord?: E major contains three notes: E (the root), G♯ (the major third), and B (the perfect fifth).
How do you play an E major chord on guitar?: The standard open voicing: middle finger on the 2nd fret of the 5th string (B), ring finger on the 2nd fret of the 4th string (E — one octave above), index finger on the 1st fret of the 3rd string (G♯). The 6th, 2nd, and 1st strings ring open as E, B, and E.
Is E major the same as the E chord in blues?: Almost. The "E chord" in classic 12-bar blues is often E7 (E–G♯–B–D), which adds a flat seventh on top of E major. Pure E major is the simpler triad, and depending on the song you may use either.
What's the difference between E major and E minor?: Only the third changes. E major uses G♯; E minor uses G natural. The root (E) and fifth (B) are the same in both. On guitar, the difference is one finger: lift the index off the 3rd string in an E major shape and you're playing E minor.