Map it slowly
Find E on string 5 at fret 7. Play string 5, fret 7; string 5, fret 10; string 4, fret 9; string 3, fret 7; string 3, fret 9. Use a relaxed position and release pressure between repetitions. String 1 is high E.
Arpeggio · Em7 · Guitar
Em7 arpeggio on guitar
The Em7 arpeggio is E – G – B – D — chord tones 1 ♭3 5 ♭7. Em7 is the ii chord in a major ii–V–I, and minor-key tonics; its sound is soft, warm, unresolved. Below, every E, G, B, D on the fretboard is marked, with the root in gold. Press play to hear a one-octave arpeggio, or tap any note.
Visualizer
Em7 on the fretboard.
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
RootChord toneBeing played
Tempo100 bpm
Show
Sound
Play loops the arpeggio up and down one octave (switch Loop off for a single pass) in the position starting at fret 7. Tap any marked note to hear it. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Your next 10 minutes
Make E Minor 7th part of your playing
Make a short phrase
Play E – G – B – D in quarter notes at 60 bpm. Repeat starting from G, wrapping back to E. Do not speed up until every attack is even.
Hear it in context
Alternate G and D above a sustained E. These are degree ♭3 and ♭7. End a four-bar phrase on either one instead of always returning to the root.
Listen for this: Em7 has the colour “soft, warm, unresolved”. Name the degrees as you play, so you can recognize the sound in another key rather than remembering only a shape.
Understand the sound
Em7: from a pattern to a musical choice
What gives Em7 its identity?
The minor third supplies the minor identity and the flat seventh keeps the sound open. Preserve both when reducing the chord to a small voicing.
Here the third is G, and degree ♭7 is D. Play E in the bass and compare these voices individually before combining them.
Turn the arpeggio into a melody
Try G – B – D – E as quarter notes, then repeat the first note and omit the last. The second phrase uses the same harmony with a different shape.
Sound the strings separately before playing them together. If a note is muted, adjust the finger angle instead of squeezing harder.
Your guitar checkpoint
Start with E on string 5, fret 7. The next note G is on string 5, fret 10. Name both notes aloud before playing, then find the same two pitches in another octave.
Before moving on, close the diagram and name the notes: E · G · B · D. Then play a two-bar phrase from memory and leave two bars of silence.
On piano
Em7 on the keyboard.
Reference
Em7 — chord tones & intervals.
| Chord tone | Note | Interval from E |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | E | unison (0 semitones) |
| ♭3 | G | minor 3rd (3 semitones) |
| 5 | B | perfect 5th (7 semitones) |
| ♭7 | D | minor 7th (10 semitones) |
Goes with: E Dorian (E F♯ G A B C♯ D). Voicings: Em7 voicings on guitar.
Take it to the bandstand.Practice Radio streams endless changes to play the Em7 arpeggio over through all twelve keys, with the chord and scale shown live — plus ear-training and call & response modes.
▶ Open Practice RadioCommon questions
Em7 arpeggio FAQ.
What notes are in a Em7 arpeggio?
E – G – B – D. As chord tones: 1 ♭3 5 ♭7. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
What is a Em7 chord used for?
Em7 is the ii chord in a major ii–V–I, and minor-key tonics. Its character is soft, warm, unresolved.
Which scale goes with Em7?
E Dorian (E F♯ G A B C♯ D) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
How do I practise the Em7 arpeggio on guitar?
Start on the root E on the A string at fret 7 and play A-string fret 7, A-string fret 10, D-string fret 9, G-string fret 7, G-string fret 9. Then play it descending, then in eighth notes with a metronome, then use it in a short phrase over a suitable chord.
Keep going
Minor 7th arpeggio in every other key.
Same arpeggio on piano · Minor 7th hub · chord-scale theory.
Other arpeggios from E