Beginner Ukulele Chords Part 5: How to Play an E Minor Chord

In this series of posts on beginner ukulele chords we’ve looked at three major chords (C, F and G) and one minor chord: A minor. In this part we’ll be looking at another minor chord: E minor.

As you’ll remember from our previous article on the A minor chord, all minor chords need to contain a note that is three frets above the chord note (also know as a minor third). With the chord note being E, the chord E minor must contain the note G.

There are two ways you can play the E chord on the ukulele in the first position and we’ll be taking a look at how to play both of them.

One Way to Play E Minor

The first version of the E minor chord we’ll look at is the most common one and requires three fingers to play. Third finger – C string – 4th fret. Second finger – E string – 3rd fret. First finger – A string – 2nd fret.

You don’t need to fret the G string at all.

E Minor Chord: Alternative Version

When you play the Em chord in the way we’ve discussed you’ll have a G note with the open G string and one at the third fret of the E string.

To be an E minor chord, you only need to hear this note once. So instead of playing the E string at the third fret you can play it open. That will give you two E notes in the chord.

This way of playing the E minor chord only requires two fingers (the index finger on the a string and the ring finger on the C string) so it might sound like it would be easier to play it this way. That is not necessarily the case.

When you stop holding the string down, it will obviously move up off the fretboard. This makes it much more difficult to arch over it to play the C string with your ring finger. Because of that, it is easier and more common to play it the first way we discussed.