About the Em chord
Em is a E minor chord built from E, G, B. Soft and melancholic: the emotional counterpart to major. Adds depth and longing.
Root
E
Quality
Minor
Chord tones
E G B
Shapes
2 · intermediate
Notes & intervals
Every minor chord stacks the same intervals on its root. In Em, that gives you:
E
root1
Home base. The root names the chord, and every other note is measured from it.
G
minor third♭3
The minor third is where the melancholy lives: it turns the chord dark and tender.
B
perfect fifth5
The fifth adds weight and strength behind the root.
Em appears naturally in the keys of C major, D major, G major.
Used in genres
Minor chords show up all over the progression catalog, most of all in these styles:
Character & mood
MelancholicSoft and melancholic: the emotional counterpart to major. Adds depth and longing.