E chords on piano

About the E chords on piano

Most songs that use E chords start from E major, the notes E–G♯–B. Its relative minor key is C sharp minor, which shares the same notes, so the chords of both keys mix naturally.

E appears in A major (V), E major (I), B major (IV), A minor (V).

Triads are three-note chords, the backbone of most songs. The E triads are E (E–G♯–B), Em (E–G–B), Edim (E–G–B♭), Eaug (E–G♯–B♯).

Seventh chords add a fourth note, a seventh above the root, for a richer or more tense sound: E7 (E–G♯–B–D), Emaj7 (E–G♯–B–D♯), Em7 (E–G–B–D), Edim7 (E–G–B♭–D♭), Em7♭5 (E–G–B♭–D), Em(maj7) (E–G–B–D♯), Eaug7 (E–G♯–B♯–D).

Extended and added-note chords stack a sixth, ninth, eleventh or thirteenth on top. On E: Eadd9 (E–G♯–B–F♯), Em(add9) (E–G–B–F♯), E6 (E–G♯–B–C♯), Em6 (E–G–B–C♯), E9 (E–G♯–B–D–F♯), Em9 (E–G–B–D–F♯), Emaj9 (E–G♯–B–D♯–F♯), E11 (E–G♯–B–D–F♯–A), E13 (E–G♯–B–D–F♯–C♯), E7♯9 (E–G♯–B–D–F𝄪), E7♭9 (E–G♯–B–D–F), E6/9 (E–G♯–B–C♯–F♯), Eadd11 (E–G♯–B–A).

Suspended chords replace the third with a second or fourth, so they sound open and unresolved: Esus2 (E–F♯–B), Esus4 (E–A–B), E7sus4 (E–A–B–D), E9sus4 (E–A–B–D–F♯).

On piano every E chord keeps the same shape when you move it to another root; only the pattern of black and white keys changes. The keyboards show root position; each chord page has every inversion and the fingering for both hands.

Chords marked "diagram only" are less common and do not have their own page yet; the diagram and the notes above are all you need to play them.