Ukulele · major seventh
Emaj7 Chord on Ukulele
E Major 7th is E, G#, B, D# — the 1-3-5-7 pattern of a major seventh chord. There are 2 ways to play it on ukulele, ranked below from easiest to hardest.
There is no open Emaj7 shape on ukulele — every version sits up the neck. The one marked “Amaj7 Shape (movable) (7th fret)” below is the friendliest grip, so start there.
Start here — Amaj7 Shape (movable) (7th fret)
Sits at fret 7 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath.
Every way 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.
Amaj7 Shape (movable) (7th fret) Way 1 of 2
Amaj7 Shape (movable) (7th fret)
Easiest here· intermediate· the standard shape
Sits at fret 7 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath.
Gmaj7 Shape (movable) (9th fret) Way 2 of 2
Gmaj7 Shape (movable) (9th fret)
intermediate
Sits at fret 9 — 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: Amaj7 Shape (movable) (7th fret).
Listening: each shape above has its own play button, and each one plays the notes that shape actually produces — not a generic triad.
Emaj7 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 ukulele.
Emaj7 on Ukulele — questions people ask
What is the easiest way to play Emaj7 on ukulele?
“Amaj7 Shape (movable) (7th fret)” — which we rate intermediate — is the easiest Emaj7 shape on ukulele. Sits at fret 7 — 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 Emaj7 on ukulele, so a barre is unavoidable; this is the least demanding one.
What notes are in the E Major 7th chord?
E Major 7th is E, G#, B, D# — the 1-3-5-7 interval pattern of a major seventh 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 Emaj7 on ukulele?
This page has 2 Emaj7 voicings for ukulele, ranked from easiest to hardest: Amaj7 Shape (movable) (7th fret), Gmaj7 Shape (movable) (9th fret). They all sound like Emaj7; the differences are how hard they are to hold and how high they sit.
What can I play instead of Emaj7?
The nearest stand-ins on ukulele 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 Emaj7 on other instruments?
Yes. Emaj7 is the same set of notes everywhere; only the fingering changes. This site has diagrams and audio for it on guitar, piano, bass, mandolin, banjo.
Learn the theory behind Emaj7
The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.