Mandolin · minor
Em Chord on Mandolin
E Minor is E, G, B — the 1-b3-5 pattern of a minor chord. There are 2 ways to play it on mandolin, ranked below from easiest to hardest.
Good news: Em has an open shape on mandolin, so you can play it without barring anything. Start there and work up the neck later.
Start here — Open Em
Open shape — open strings ring right through it and there is nothing to barre. If you only learn one, learn this one.
Easier ways to play it — 2 shapes, easiest first
Same chord in all of them. What changes is how much your hand has to do and where on the neck it sits.
Way 1 of 2
Open Em
Easiest here· beginner· the standard shape
Open shape — open strings ring right through it and there is nothing to barre. If you only learn one, learn this one.
Way 2 of 2
Movable Gm Shape (9th fret)
intermediate
Barre at fret 9 — the same movable idea, further up the neck: brighter, more compact, and easier to reach if you are already playing up there.
What beginners get wrong
Nothing unusual trips people up on this one. Play it slowly, one string at a time, and listen for any note that buzzes or does not sound at all.
Moving in and out of it
The shape above: Open Em — open position, so several strings ring unfretted.
Where you will meet it: E Minor (i), A Minor (v), B Minor (iv), G Major (vi), D Major (ii).
Listening: each shape above has its own play button, and each one plays the notes that shape actually produces — not a generic triad.
Songs that turn on this chord
- WonderwallOasisverse — opening chord
- Stairway to HeavenLed Zeppelinverse
- Mad WorldTears for Fears / Gary Julesverse — opening
- GratitudeBrandon Lakeverse — the vi chord
- Build My LifePat Barrettpre-chorus — opening chord
Em on other instruments
Same notes, different hands. Every link below is a real page with diagrams and audio.
Chords next door
Same root, different colour — and all of them playable on mandolin.
Em on Mandolin — questions people ask
What is the easiest way to play Em on mandolin?
“Open Em” — which we rate beginner — is the easiest Em shape on mandolin. Open shape — open strings ring right through it and there is nothing to barre. If you only learn one, learn this one.
What notes are in the E Minor chord?
E Minor is E, G, B — the 1-b3-5 interval pattern of a minor chord. Every voicing on this page uses those notes and nothing else; they just appear in a different order and octave.
How many ways can you play Em on mandolin?
This page has 2 Em voicings for mandolin, ranked from easiest to hardest: Open Em, Movable Gm Shape (9th fret). They all sound like Em; the differences are how hard they are to hold and how high they sit.
What can I play instead of Em?
The nearest stand-ins on mandolin that keep the same root are E5, Esus4, Esus2. They keep the root and the fifth and only change what sits in the middle, so most songs still work — but check the swap against the melody, because the note you removed may be the one the tune is singing.
Can I play Em on other instruments?
Yes. Em is the same set of notes everywhere; only the fingering changes. This site has diagrams and audio for it on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, banjo.
Learn the theory behind Em
The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.
Major and Minor Scales — Built from Intervals, Felt in Songs
The flat third is the whole difference between this chord and its major twin.
5 min read
Key Signatures: Read Any Key in Two Seconds
Which keys this chord belongs to, and how to read the sharps and flats.
6 min read
Chord Progressions Explained
Minor chords rarely travel alone. Here is the company they keep.
7 min read