Mandolin · minor major seventh
Em(maj7) Chord on Mandolin
E Minor-Major 7th is E, G, B, D# — the 1-b3-5-7 pattern of a minor major seventh chord. Here is the shape, the audio, and what usually goes wrong.
There is no open Em(maj7) on mandolin. The one shape below sits up the neck and is rated advanced.
Start here — Movable m(maj7) Shape (5th fret)
Sits at fret 5 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath.
What beginners get wrong
Moving in and out of it
The shape above: Movable m(maj7) Shape (5th fret).
Listening: each shape above has its own play button, and each one plays the notes that shape actually produces — not a generic triad.
Em(maj7) 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(maj7) on Mandolin — questions people ask
What is the easiest way to play Em(maj7) on mandolin?
“Movable m(maj7) Shape (5th fret)” — which we rate advanced — is the easiest Em(maj7) shape on mandolin. Sits at fret 5 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath. There is no open Em(maj7) on mandolin, so a barre is unavoidable; this is the least demanding one.
What notes are in the E Minor-Major 7th chord?
E Minor-Major 7th is E, G, B, D# — the 1-b3-5-7 interval pattern of a minor major seventh chord. Every voicing on this page uses those notes and nothing else; they just appear in a different order and octave.
What can I play instead of Em(maj7)?
The nearest stand-ins on mandolin that keep the same root are Esus4, Esus2, E. 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(maj7) on other instruments?
Yes. Em(maj7) is the same set of notes everywhere; only the fingering changes. This site has diagrams and audio for it on guitar, piano, ukulele, banjo.
Learn the theory behind Em(maj7)
The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.
Functional Harmony: Three Roles, One Engine
What a seventh chord is for — tension, resolution, and the seat it takes in the key.
6 min read
The 12-Bar Blues — Three Chords, A Century of Hits
Seventh chords are the whole sound of the blues. Twelve bars is where to hear it.
7 min read
Major and Minor Scales — Built from Intervals, Felt in Songs
The flat third under all of this, and the scale it comes from.
5 min read