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How to Play The E Minor Chord on Bass
The most common way to play the E minor 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 index 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
- Index finger (1) on fret 5 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 minor as a dyad, which means playing it with only the 2 primary intervals: the root (E) and the minor 3rd (G).
You can use this E minor arpeggio bass diagram to visualize and construct the E minor chord in any position on your fretboard.
Other names for E Minor
The E minor chord can be written in several ways, including:
- E Minor
- Emin
- Em
These notations all represent the same chord, built from the notes E, G, and B.
Practicing the E Minor chord on bass
The E minor chord is the root chord in the E natural minor scale, so use it in a 1-4-5 progression in the key of E minor. This gives you the chords Em – Am – Bm.
The E minor chord also sounds great as the minor vi chord in the G major scale, and the minor ii chord in the D major scale. Use it in a G major chord progression such as G – Emin – C – D, or a D major chord progression such as D – Bmin – Emin – A
