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Minor
Guitar chord diagrams and chord theory. This is the Chord Section of Olav Torvund's Guitar Site.
Modified: Jan 8 2008
Minor
Guitar chord diagrams and chord theory. This is the Chord Section of Olav Torvund's Guitar Site.
Modified: Jan 8 2008
6
Guitar chord diagrams and chord theory. This is the Chord Section of Olav Torvund's Guitar Site.
Modified: Jan 4 2008
Sonic shapes
Guitar chord diagrams and chord theory. This is the Chord Section of Olav Torvund's Guitar Site.
Modified: Jan 4 2008
Major
Guitar chord diagrams and chord theory. This is the Chord Section of Olav Torvund's Guitar Site.
Modified: Jan 4 2008

Previous page:	E	Next page:
Previous page: Major	E	Next page: 6

The E-chord

Find chord shapes

These are diagrams for the E-major chord. It should be close to all playable position of this chord. For another, more general summary of the various Major Triad Positions, go to my lessons on Chord shapes and Sonic Shapes.

For a general discussion on major chords, go to my Major chord page

Open Chord positions Open chords sound good on acoustic guitar. The key of E is a very good key for guitar, because you have the root of two of the three *primary chords* on open bass-strings.
	Despite that E-major is a very "Open key" on the guitar, there is only one open chord position in the key of E. But you should remember that *you can always play 6th, 2nd and 1st string open*. This means that all closed chords on 5th, 4th and 3rd string may be played as open chords with all the strings sounding.
Voicing: 1-5-1-3-5-1

Barré chords

Voicing: 1-3-5-1-3	Voicing: 5-1-5-1-3-5	Voicing: 5-1-5-1-3-5	Voicing: 1-5-1-3-5-1	Voicing: 1-5-1-3-5-1
It is a matter of definition whether this C-shape is a barré chord or a closed position. But I decided to put it here.	Bb-shape played with a barré at 7th fret.	This is an alternative fingering of the same chord. You play a partial barré with your third finger. It is a harder fingering to play, but very convenient, as i leaves the 2nd and 4th finger free for other tasks.	F-shape played with barré in 12th fret. Note that it has the root note both at the bottom and at the top, which often makes it a better choice than the Bb-shape fingering.	This is an alternate fingering. You play both 5th and 4th string with your third finger, which leaves the fourth finger free.

Closed positions
These are moveable shapes, and you play no open strings. They are the kind of chord shapes often flavored by jazz-guitarist. But as jazz guitarists usually do not play basic triads, so we cannot really call them jazz chords.


Voicing: 3-5-1	Voicing: 3-1-5
The Middle Minor Position produces a major chord. You can play the two top strings open (but not the 3rd string).	You can play the two top strings open.


Voicing: 5-1-3	Voicing: 1-3-5	Voicing: 3-5-1	Voicing: (x)-x-x-5-1-3	Voicing: (x)-x-3-5-1-3
. It is the E/Am-shape if you refer to Sonic shapes. You can play the two top strings open (but not the 3rd string).	It is the Bottom Major Shape. You can play both the bottom and the two top stings open, meaning that you can play all strings.	This is the chord in 1. inversion. It is the Middle D-shape. You can play the bottom and the top string open.	Here we are in 2. inversion, D-shape. You can play the bottom string open.	This is another variation of 1. inversion. I have indicated that you play the open 3rd string. But if you skip this string, you have a moveable chord shape on 4th, 2nd and 1st strings. You can play the bottom string open.


Voicing: 5-1-3		Voicing: 1-3-5	Voicing: 1-5-1-3
Still the same basic position as the two previous, and you will probably recognize the A-shape. But know we position ourself to climb up the fretboard. You can play both the bottom and the top sting open.	This is the same as the previous, only with another fingering. This leaves your other fingers free to play above the basic chord. You can play the bottom and the top string open.	You should see the relationship between this and the previous fingering: The same notes on 3rd and 2nd string, and then the 1st finger on 1st string. This is the Top Major Shape. You can play the bottom string open.	Now we are closing the chord. It should be a well known fingering, but limited to a closed position chord at the middle four strings. You might use 2nd, 3rd and 4th for 4th, 3rd and 2nd string, if you prefer this fingering. You can drop out the 4th string and still have a proper chord. You can play the bottom and the top string open.


Voicing: 1-3-5	Voicing: 3-5-1	Voicing: 5-1-3	Voicing: 3-5-1-3	Voicing: 5-1-3-1
It is the Bottom Major Shape one more time, but now on other strings. You can play the two top strings open.	Here I have only left out the 2nd string. (And I have to re-do the graphics. You should use your 3rd finger, and not the 2nd as the diagram says, on the 5th string). I have called this The Middle Minor Position. You might wonder why I call it a *minor* shape when the chord is a *major chord. But the same shape gives a minor chord if you move it across to the 4th, 3rd and 2nd string, and this is the point with these Sonic Shapes:* The chord changes if you cross over to other sets of strings. You can play both the bottom and the two top stings open, meaning that you can play all strings.	You have seen this before, but it is included to make this position complete, and to show relations between positions. You can play the bottom and the top string open.	Here the only difference is that we play the 5th string with our 3rd finger. You can play the bottom and the top string open.	This is the Long-A shape, a very useful position. Go to the Long-A lesson in my Blues Guitar series. The relation between The Long A-shape and the Blues Scale is the topic of another lesson in the same series. You should take a look at Key to The Highway, for a typical blues arrangement with this chord shape. And while you are branching out, take a look at a Simple Blues Chord Solo to see how you may use some of these moveable shapes. You can play the bottom string open.

		These are two chord shapes that are "in between" the larger group two frets lower and one fret higher. They are some kind of "bridging position". You do of course see that you can combine the two, and what you end up with is a G-major shape fingering where you do not play the open strings.
Voicing: 1-3-5	Voicing: 3-5-1


Voicing: 1-3-5	Voicing: 3-5-1
These three chord shapes shows the four adjacent three-note groups in this position.
This fingering may still be seen as a partial F-shape barré . But a shape like this can easily be made part of a chord solo, or be a "base camp" in a solo. The full barré chord does not work well in this context. This is the F-shape.	.This is the last 3-string fraction of the F-shape barré chord . My imagination run out, so I have no better name for this than the Partial F-shape. You can play the bottom string open.


Voicing: 1-5-3	Voicing: 1-3-5	Voicing: 5-3-1
We are still in the same position, and these are three skip-string voicings that give full major triads. You can of course combine shapes, but you should see which notes you have to include to get full chords.


Voicing: 1-5-1-3	Voicing: 5-1-3-5	Voicing: 1-3-5-1	Voicing: 1-x-1-3-5
These are five four note chords in the same positions as the previous row.

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