How to Play an E Major Chord on the Ukulele
Learning how to play an E major chord on the ukulele is important for many songs but it is one of the harder shapes to learn. It’s harder because it uses all 4 fingers with no open strings. So if you’re a complete beginner, we recommend you start with one of the easier major chords that only require one or two fingers. You can explore the other major ukulele chords here. However, with practice, you’ll soon be able to play the E major chord. So if you’re ready to give it a go, please see our E major ukulele chord video lesson below, along with the E major chord chart, fingerings and theory, and some examples of ukulele songs that use the E major chord. You can also download our free E Major Chord Poster to stick on your wall! The E major chord is also known as the E chord, Emaj chord, or EM chord. Good luck and enjoy!
Video Lesson for the E Major Ukulele Chord
E Major Chord Ukulele Fingerings
How to Play an E Major Chord on the Ukulele!
To play an E major chord…
- Put your 1st finger (index finger) on the 2nd fret of the 1st string (A string)
- Put your 2nd finger (ring finger) on the 4th fret of the 4th string (G string)
- Put your 3rd finger (ring finger) on the 4th fret of the 3rd string (C string)
- Put your 4th finger (little finger) on the 4th fret of the 2nd string (E string)
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What Notes Are in an E Major Chord?
The Theory of the E Major Chord
An E major chord is made up of these 3 notes…
E G# B
All major chords are made up of the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of a major scale. So, as you can see below, when you take the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the E major scale, you get E, G# and B.
E F# G# A B C# D#
You may be wondering why you need to play all 4 strings of the ukulele to play an E Major chord if it only consists of 3 notes – the answer is that you don’t have to, but doubling up the B note on the 4th and 1st strings gives the chord a fuller sound.
Related Chords to the E Major Chord
A Major (Amaj)
C Major (Cmaj)
D Major (Emaj)
F Major (Fmaj)
G Major (Gmaj)
E minor (Em)
E power chord (E5)
E dominant 7th (E7)
E major 7th (Emaj7)
E minor 7th (Emin7)
E suspended 2nd (Esus2)
E suspended 4th (Esus4)
E major 6th (E6)
E major add 9 (Emaj add9)
E dominant 7th flat 5 (E7b5)
E augmented (Eaug)
E augmented 7th (Eaug7)
E diminished (Edim)
E diminished 7th (Edim7)
What Ukulele Songs Use the E Major Chord?
The E chord is an uplifiting sounding chord that can be used in any genre of music. Here are some famous songs that use an E major chord and can be played on the ukulele. Please note that the written chords are for the original songs and may not be the same as the accompanying covers if the performer has changed the key.
‘Stand by Me’ by Ben E. King
Chords: A, D, E, Gbm
‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ by John Denver
Chords: A, D, E, E7, Gbm, G
‘Hey, Soul Sister’ by Train
Chords: E, B, C#m, A
‘Photograph’ by Ed Sheeran
Chords: E, C#m, B, A
‘Love Yourself’ by Justin Bieber
Chords: E, B, C#m, F#m, A
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