E Major 7th Chord

How to play the E Major 7th Chord on the piano

Let’s go through some charts that will familiarize you with the E Major 7th Chord and how to play it in the various forms you will encounter in pieces of music. First, we’ll look at the fundamental chord and its inversions; then, we’ll explore some more complex voicings.

The E Major 7th Chord in root position

In root position, the notes of the E major 7th chord are stacked in thirds with E on the bottom. The appearance on the staff is evenly spaced, as is the feeling of the space in between your fingers while playing.

E Major 7th Chord in root position
Note Order	E G♯ B D♯
Left Hand Fingering	5 3 2 1
Right Hand Fingering	1 2 3 5
Chord Symbol	Emaj7

The E Major 7th Chord in first inversion

In first inversion, the third of the chord (G♯) becomes the bottom note, and the root (E) jumps up to the top.

E Major 7th Chord in 1^st inversion
Note Order	G♯ B D♯ E
Left Hand Fingering	5 3 2 1
Right Hand Fingering	1 2 4 5
Chord Symbol	Emaj^6/5 or Emaj7/G♯

The E Major 7th Chord in second inversion

In second inversion, the fifth of the chord (B) is on the bottom, and the third of the chord (G♯) goes to the top.

E Major 7th Chord in 2^nd inversion
Note Order	B D♯ E G♯
Left Hand Fingering	5 3 2 1
Right Hand Fingering	1 2 3 5
Chord Symbol	Emaj^4/3 or Emaj7/B

The E Major 7th Chord in third inversion

In third inversion, the seventh of the chord (D♯) is on the bottom, and the fifth of the chord (B) goes to the top.

E Major 7th Chord in 3^rd inversion
Note Order	D♯ E G♯ B
Left Hand Fingering	5 4 2 1
Right Hand Fingering	1 2 3 5
Chord Symbol	Emaj^4/2 or Emaj7/D♯

E Major 7th Chord theory and function

The major 7th adds the note a half step below the octave, which gives the chord a soft, open sound with a little friction in it. In Baroque and Classical music it appears as a passing seventh inside a sequence, and in Romantic and Impressionist music it is used as a color chord on the tonic and the subdominant.

The E major 7th chord is the tonic (Imaj7) in E major and the subdominant (IVmaj7) in B major. In minor keys, it is the mediant (IIImaj7) in C♯ minor and the submediant (VImaj7) in G♯ minor.

The cadence to recognize is ii7 – V7 – I. In E major that is F♯m7 – B7 – Emaj7, where the tonic is colored with its seventh. In a sequence the seventh leans down by step into the next chord, and in a color chord it is left hanging for a moment before the music moves on. Try playing E and then Emaj7 and listen to what the added note does.