PorchtoneQuick answer: the seven chords in E minor are Em, F♯°, G, Am, Bm, C, D. The strongest are Em, Am and Bm (the i, iv and v); most songs in Em lean on those.
The chords
| EmiE G B | F♯°ii°F♯ A C | GIIIG B D | AmivA C E | BmvB D F♯ | CVIC E G | DVIID F♯ A |
Progressions that sound good in Em
- AndalusianEm – D – C – B (i VII VI V)
A falling bass line with Spanish drama.
- Night driveEm – C – G – D (i VI III VII)
Dark but moving forward; huge in film and alt-pop.
Playing in Em with a capo
If the barre chords in Em are a stretch, put a capo on and play easier open shapes. The song still sounds in Em.
| Capo | Play these shapes |
|---|---|
| Fret 2 | Dm, E°, F, Gm, Am, A♯ (shapes from Dm) |
| Fret 7 | Am, B°, C, Dm, Em, F (shapes from Am) |
Related keys
E minor shares all its chords with its relative major, G major. Its closest neighbours are B minor and A minor, which share six of its seven notes and make easy key changes.