PorchtoneQuick answer: the seven chords in E major are E, F♯m, G♯m, A, B, C♯m, D♯°. The strongest are E, A and B (the I, IV and V); most songs in E lean on those.
The chords
| EIE G♯ B | F♯miiF♯ A C♯ | G♯miiiG♯ B D♯ | AIVA C♯ E | BVB D♯ F♯ | C♯mviC♯ E G♯ | D♯°vii°D♯ F♯ A |
Progressions that sound good in E
- Pop anthemE – B – C♯m – A (I V vi IV)
Big, hopeful, singable. One of the most used progressions in pop.
- SensitiveC♯m – A – E – B (vi IV I V)
The same four chords starting on the minor: wistful, then lifting.
- FiftiesE – C♯m – A – B (I vi IV V)
Doo-wop and slow-dance warmth.
- LiftA – E – B – C♯m (IV I V vi)
Starts away from home, so it feels like it is always reaching.
- Slow burnE – G♯m – A – B (I iii IV V)
Tender, with a gentle ache on the iii chord.
- HymnE – A – E – B (I IV I V)
Plain and honest; leaves room for the words.
- Three chordsE – A – B (I IV V)
The backbone of folk, country and rock and roll.
- HighwayE – D – A – E (I bVII IV I)
Open-road rock: the borrowed ♭VII gives it swagger.
- HeartlandE – D – A – A (I bVII IV IV)
Jangly, wide-open guitar rock.
- 12-bar bluesE7 – E7 – E7 – E7 – A7 – A7 – E7 – E7 – B7 – A7 – E7 – B7 (I7 I7 I7 I7 IV7 IV7 I7 I7 V7 IV7 I7 V7)
Twelve bars that most of rock and roll grew out of.
- Two-five-oneF♯m7 – B7 – Emaj7 (ii7 V7 Imaj7)
The basic cadence of jazz standards.
Playing in E with a capo
If the barre chords in E are a stretch, put a capo on and play easier open shapes. The song still sounds in E.
| Capo | Play these shapes |
|---|---|
| Fret 2 | D, Em, F♯m, G, A, Bm (shapes from D) |
| Fret 4 | C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am (shapes from C) |
| Fret 7 | A, Bm, C♯m, D, E, F♯m (shapes from A) |
Related keys
E major shares all its chords with its relative minor, C♯ minor. Its closest neighbours are B major and A major, which share six of its seven notes and make easy key changes.