The Em7 ukulele chord is built from the notes E, G, B, D. Its first ukulele voicing is the open position: G string open; C string at fret 2 (index finger); E string open; A string at fret 2 (middle finger). It is a minor 7th chord, and this page gives you its exact notes, the fingerings that work on the ukulele, the mistakes to avoid and the progressions it appears in.
What notes are in the Em7 chord?
The Em7 chord is a minor 7th chord, and its notes are fixed: E, G, B, D. Every voicing on every instrument uses these same notes, in some order and in some octave — change one of them and you are playing a different chord. The table below lists each note with its interval from the root E, so you can see the structure of Em7 at a glance. On the ukulele, the open position of Em7 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
| Note | Interval |
|---|---|
| E | Root |
| G | b3 |
| B | 5 |
| D | b7 |
The root is E, the note the chord is named after and the note your ear hears as home. Above it, the intervals in Em7 are b3, 5, b7. Those intervals are the fingerprint of the minor 7th quality — any chord with the same interval pattern, on any root, is the same kind of chord. On the ukulele, the notes appear in the order the fingering dictates, but the set of notes never changes.
Em7 sounds warm and jazzy without being tense, the chord that makes ii–V–I progressions flow. Listen for that character when you play it — if Em7 does not sound that way, one of the notes is probably wrong, and the table above is the place to check. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, G, B, D in Em7.
Comparing Em7 with its closest relatives helps to fix it in your ear. In short, minor 7th against dominant 7th: both have the flattened 7th D, but Em7 has the minor 3rd G while the dominant 7th has the major 3rd G#. Practise the two chords back to back and listen to the one note that changes — that single note is the difference between the two chords. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, G, B, D in Em7.
How to play Em7 on ukulele
On the ukulele, Em7 has 3 voicings in the data below, and each one uses the same notes — E, G, B, D — in a different place on the neck. Start with the first voicing and get it clean before you try the movable shapes further up the neck. Finger numbers below use 1 for the index finger, 2 for the middle finger, 3 for the ring finger and 4 for the little finger, and x means the string is not played.
The open position puts Em7 in around fret 1: G string open; C string at fret 2 (index finger); E string open; A string at fret 2 (middle finger). This voicing is comfortable because the fretted notes sit close together, from fret 2 to fret 2, so your hand stays relaxed and every note can ring. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Em7 — E, G, B, D — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
For the barre chord, Em7 sits in around fret 7: G string at fret 7 (index finger); C string at fret 7 (index finger); E string open; A string at fret 7 (index finger). It barres across strings 1 to 2 at fret 7 with the index finger. The barre is the hard part: the index finger must press every string from 1 to 2 evenly at fret 7, so roll it slightly onto its bony side and keep it close to the fret wire. If the barre buzzes, move it a fraction closer to the fret and press from the arm, not the thumb alone. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Em7 — E, G, B, D — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
For the movable voicing, Em7 sits in around fret 2: G string open; C string at fret 2 (index finger); E string open; A string at fret 5 (middle finger). The stretch is the challenge: the fretted notes span from fret 2 to fret 5, so keep your thumb low behind the neck and let your fingers reach rather than squeezing the neck. Strum or pluck it slowly first and check that every note in Em7 — E, G, B, D — sounds, with no buzz and no accidental open string.
Choosing between the voicings of Em7 is a musical decision, not a right-or-wrong one. The open or low-position voicing rings the most and suits strumming, while a barre or movable voicing lets you slide Em7 up the neck to any key without changing the shape. When you change chords, pick the voicing of Em7 that sits closest to the chord before it — shorter moves between shapes mean faster, cleaner changes. Practise the change into Em7 from the chord that comes before it in your song, not the chord on its own, because the move is the skill. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, G, B, D in Em7.
A short practice routine for Em7 on the ukulele: play the first voicing four times slowly, checking each note, then change to it from the chord a fourth above E and back, four times, at a slow tempo. Then play the second voicing the same way. If a note buzzes, stop and fix the finger placement rather than playing through the buzz — clean notes at a slow tempo become clean notes at full tempo, while buzzes practised fast become habits. Use the Ukulele Chord Finder to see the diagram for Em7 while you practise, and the Chord Finder to compare it with the same chord on other instruments.
Common mistakes
These are the mistakes that most often make Em7 sound wrong on the ukulele, and each one has a concrete fix. Work through them one at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Raising the 7th. The 7th here is D, flattened. Playing D# instead gives a minor-major 7th, a much tenser sound. On the ukulele, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in Em7.
Losing the 7th in a thick voicing. D is easy to bury under the root and 5th. Voice the chord so the 7th rings, or the chord collapses into a plain minor triad. On the ukulele, the open position of Em7 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Rushing ii–V–I. Em7 usually leads to a dominant chord and then home. Practise the three-chord move slowly so each chord gets its full beat. On the ukulele, the open position of Em7 puts those notes under your fingers in the order the fingering lists them.
Pressing too hard on the nylon strings. Ukulele strings need far less pressure than guitar strings, and pressing hard on Em7 pulls the notes sharp and tires the hand. Use the lightest touch that gives a clean note, and keep your fingers close to the frets. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, G, B, D in Em7.
Where Em7 is used
Em7 is not a diatonic triad in any major or minor key, because it is an extended or altered chord, but its base triad belongs to the key of C major, the key of D major, the key of G major. the ii in ii–V–I, the most common progression in jazz. As a dominant-type chord it also points toward A major, the key a perfect fourth above E, which is the tonic it most often resolves to. That is where Em7 does its work: not as a home chord, but as a chord that creates movement and then resolves. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, G, B, D in Em7.
Because Em7 is an extended or altered chord, it appears in progressions as a colour or a dominant rather than as a diatonic staple. Try it in place of the plain E triad in a progression you already know, and listen to how the extra notes change the feel — that substitution is the usual way extended chords enter real music. The Chord Progression Builder lets you try Em7 in a progression in any key and hear how it connects to the chords around it. On the ukulele, the open position voicing is the place to hear it in Em7.
The same chord on other instruments is covered in Em7 on guitar, Em7 on piano, Em7 on bass, and the scales that fit over it are the E major scale and the E minor pentatonic scale. Learning Em7 on the ukulele and then checking it on another instrument is one of the best ways to fix the notes — E, G, B, D — in your memory, because the notes stay the same while everything else changes.
Practising Em7
A short worked example makes Em7 concrete. Play the four-chord progression A – E – F#m – D in A major, the key Em7 most often resolves toward: A – E – F#m – D. Play each chord for one bar at a slow tempo, and listen to how Em7 sounds in that sequence — whether it feels like home, like a lift, or like a chord on its way somewhere else. Then play the same four chords in a different order, starting on Em7 itself, and notice how its character changes when it opens the progression instead of sitting inside it. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, G, B, D in Em7.
For a second exercise, play Em7 and then the chord a fourth above E, back and forth, four times each. That move — a chord and the chord a fourth above it — is the most common resolution in Western music, and it is the move Em7 is built for when it acts as a dominant. Finish by playing Em7 on its own, slowly, and naming each note out loud as you play it: E, G, B, D. Naming the notes while you play them is what turns a shape into knowledge you can use in any key. Test yourself with the Practice Chord Quiz and keep time with the Metronome as the tempo rises. On the ukulele, start with the first voicing above and listen for the notes E, G, B, D in Em7.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Em7 and Em?
Em7 adds the flattened 7th D to the Em triad. That extra note softens the chord and makes it flow more easily into the next chord, especially in ii–V–I progressions. On the ukulele, the voicings above put that note under your fingers.
Which progression uses Em7 most?
ii–V–I. In that progression Em7 is the ii chord, and it sets up the dominant chord that resolves to the tonic. It is the single most practised progression in jazz. On the ukulele, the voicings above put that note under your fingers.
How do you play Em7 on the ukulele?
The first voicing is the open position: frets 0–2–0–2, fingers 0–1–0–2, on the ukulele. That voicing uses the notes E, G, B, D, and it is the one to learn first. The page above lists more voicings for Em7, so you can choose the shape nearest the chords around it.
Is Em7 hard to play on the ukulele?
It depends on the voicing. The first voicing of Em7 on the ukulele is the easiest starting point, and the movable voicings further up the neck are harder because they need a barre or a wider stretch. Practise the first voicing cleanly at a slow tempo before you try the others, and the harder shapes will come more easily.
What is the easiest voicing of Em7 on the ukulele?
The open position is the easiest voicing listed for Em7 on the ukulele: frets 0–2–0–2, fingers 0–1–0–2. Learn that shape first, get every note ringing cleanly, and only then move on to the alternative voicings further up the neck.