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How to Play The E Chord on Bass
The most common way to play the E Chord on bass is at the 7th position of the fretboard, on the E, A, and D strings. Play it with your ring, pinky, and middle fingers. Here’s how to place your fingers:
- Ring finger (3) on fret 7 of the E string
- Pinky finger (4) on fret 7 of the A string
- Middle finger (2) on fret 6 of the D string
The root note, E, is on the 7th fret of the A string, which you can see in the chord diagram below.
You can also play E major as a dyad, which means playing it with only the 2 primary intervals: the root (E) and the 3rd (G#).
You can use this E major arpeggio bass diagram to visualize and construct the E major chord in any position on your fretboard.
Other names for E Major
The E major chord can be written in several ways, including:
- E Major
- Emaj
- E
These notations all represent the same chord, built from the notes E, G#, and B.
Practicing the E chord on bass
The E chord is the root chord in the E major scale, so use it in a 1-4-5 progression in the key of E major. This gives you the chords E – A – B.
The E major chord also sounds great as the V chord in the A major scale. Use it in an A major chord progression such as E – D – A.
