Arpeggio · Em7 · 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
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
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.
Reference
| 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.
Common questions
E – G – B – D. As chord tones: 1 ♭3 5 ♭7. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
Em7 is the ii chord in a major ii–V–I, and minor-key tonics. Its character is soft, warm, unresolved.
E Dorian (E F♯ G A B C♯ D) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
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 over the the ii chord in a major ii–V–I.
Keep going
Same arpeggio on piano · Minor 7th hub · chord-scale theory.
Other arpeggios from E