stringery

E minor 7 Minor 7 family

Mellow and smooth, minor without the heartbreak.

Easiest shape1 of 6

Square: the root. In colour: the flat 7th, which gives the chord its sound.

Change a finger and see what it becomes

Built from

  • Eroot
  • Gminor 3rd
  • B5th
  • Dflat 7th

The flat 7th softens the minor 3rd, so the sadness turns into something relaxed.

Tension: Gentle

Hear it in a progression

Where it goes next

Thinking in E minor, where it is the i7 chord.

  • Cmaj7

    VImaj7. Opens up into something bittersweet.

  • Am7

    iv7. Goes darker still.

  • D7

    VII7. Steps down: a rock and folk staple.

  • Gmaj7

    IIImaj7. Brightens into the relative major.

Sounds close

  • Gmaj7

    Relative major 7: same notes but one. Both have G, B and D.

  • G

    Contains its relative major whole. Both have G, B and D.

  • Cmaj7

    Shares 3 of its notes. Both have E, G and B.

  • G7

    Shares 3 of its notes. Both have G, B and D.

Scales that fit

Notes you can play over this chord, simplest first.

Keys it lives in