E-shape Minor Chord

The core E minor shape

This shape is commonly played as a barre chord, 134111. One way to make it a little easier is to press the second finger on top of the first finger, to strengthen the barre.

Alternate E minor grips

Like the E major shape, there are alternatives to the barre chord grip.

Play a mini-barre on the three highest-pitched strings with the first finger, muting the fourth string with the tip of the first finger. Reach the second finger over to play the bass note, also muting the fifth string. The little finger can then optionally play root and fifth bass notes on the fourth and fifth strings.

To use the first finger to play the bass note, it’s also possible to grip with 1xx444.

Study and practice

Learn the chord grips

Master the E-shape minor chord grips using the exercises described in How To Master New Chord Grips.

Play minor primary chords

Alternate between major and minor

Practice switching between the E-shape major and minor chords.

Play the minor pentatonic over the chord

See the E-shape minor pentatonic lesson for more about playing this scale over the E-shape minor chord.