E Major

The first shape is the easiest voicing: 3 fretted strings and 1 open string. Put your index finger on the 1st fret of the G string. Put your pinky finger on the 4th fret of the C string. Put your middle finger on the 2nd fret of the A string. Leave the E string open. Strum all four strings and check each one rings cleanly. Watch on YouTube

E is E, G#, B. That is a major triad (root, major third, perfect fifth). Play them in any order and you still get E. E sits in the keys of C major, E major, A major, B major.

A major chord stacks root, major third, and perfect fifth (1–3–5). In E that is the notes above. Bright and stable: the foundation of most songs. Open, happy, and resolved. Flatten the third and the same family becomes minor.

Songs that use E include Someone Like You, Wild Thing, Old Joe Clark, Africa, Just Like Heaven, and more.