Open Em tuning

Guitar with open Em tuningThe open Em tuning (EBEGBE) is as the name imply tuned to the E minor chord and comes with stimulating possibilities for the guitar. Notice that the all the strings are increased on whole step compared to the Open Dm tuning.

Be aware of that this tuning put some extra pressure on the strings and the neck of the guitar. To spare the guitar and avoid the risk of string breakage a alternative is to tune as DADFAD with a capo on 2nd fret

To get the open Em tuning on your guitar you tune it like this: E B E G B E.

More info

Including an octave perspective, the tuning is written E2-B2-E3-G3-B3-E4, meaning that the lowest string is a E note on the second octave, the second lowest string is a B note on the second octave and so on. Standard tuning reference: E2-A2-D3-G3-B3-E4.

Open chords

Em

  • Em chord diagram 000000

Em7

  • Em7 chord diagram 000030

Em9

  • Em9 chord diagram 032000

F#m11

  • F#11 chord diagram 202200

G6

  • G6 chord diagram 300030

Gmaj13

  • Gmaj13 chord diagram 300032

Am6

  • Am6 chord diagram X02210

B7

  • B7 chord diagram X02202

C

  • C chord diagram X10010

C6

  • C6 chord diagram X10210

Cmaj7

  • Cmaj7 chord diagram X13000

D11

  • D11 chord diagram X32010

Comments

In addition to the presented E minor chord, it can be played in many other ways including as 000003and 000003, 003000and 003400. Logically, there are many ways to play other E minor chords as well.

The pictured B7 is with an omitted 3rd.

The pictured Am6 is correctly written Am6/B. Playing as 002210will result in Am6add9/E. It's hard to find any easy fingerings for Am or Am7 in this tuning (except bar chords, see below).

Additional open chords in this tuning:

Bmadd11: X 0 10 11 0 0
B7sus: 002200
Em6/9: 022000

Movable one-finger (or slide) shapes

Em

  • One finger bar chord diagram 1

Am

  • One finger bar chord diagram 2

Bm

  • One finger bar chord diagram 3

Am7

  • Gm7 chord diagram

G

  • F chord diagram

Other possibilities for one-finger chords in Open E minor tuning:

Em/B: X00000
Dm/A: XX0000
Am/E: X55555
Am: XX5555
Bm/F#: X77777
Bm: XX7777

Chord progressions

Progressions in this specific tuning:

Em9 - D11 - Gmaj13

Bm/E (0 0 10 11 0 0) - Badd11 (007800) - B7sus (002200) - Em (003400)



If you want more progressions with chord diagrams in this particular guitar tuning, check out The Alternate Tunings ebook.

This was an introduction to chords in Open Em tuning, see also Open E tuning and EADGBD tuning.

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