The E Chord Made Easy: 3 Simple Tricks for Beginners

• Table of Contents
• Choose the one that fits your style!!
• E7: the E seventh
• E chord played "4442": the most used way to play the E chord
  • Using your index and ring finger
  • Using your index and ring finger, plus the pinkie
  • Using your index, ring finger, the pinkie but also the major finger
  • Exercises
• Wait, what is voicing?
• E chord played 1402 : the second most used choice
• E chord played 4447 : another way to play the E chord
  • Exercises E 4447
• E chord only with 3 strings
  • PIMA notation
• Similar chords that sound OK
  • E5: power chord
    • A bit of music theory
    • How to play E5
    • A bit of music history
• Use a capo
• Practise
• Other E chords to bring up some exotic flavor
• Conclusion

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Choose the one that fits your style!!

There are many ways to play the E chord. But what is most important for you is to find the one that fits your style, the one that you can play smoothly.

Try the first option first, see how it goes for you.

Then the second.

If by the time you have tried to play the first two options with their exercises, you haven't found the E chord that would be the best fit for you, try other ones.

Also, I have a student who have one way of playing the E chord, and over time, he switched to another version.

You may want to try the alternatives first, as they are a lot easier, especially E7; but also E5.

E7: the E seventh

E7 is THE chord that I recommand if you find that the E chord is too hard to play.

Of course, you should try to play the E chord.

Of course, you should try the different ways to play the E chord listed below.

But in the meantime, you can use E7.

E7 is the seventh counterpart of E.

Seventh chords are the chords I'd definitely advise to play if the major chord is too hard to play.

Quite often, it sounds good too - it could sound even better.

It adds up a little "spice" to the track that I like.

Seventh chords are very often used in rockabilly songs, for instance.

E chord played "4442": the most used way to play the E chord

OK, here you have the E diagram. (This is like the D chord shifted two frets).

I invite you to try it.

It's like tying knots with your fingers, isn't it?

You achieve this by bending your ring finger to bar the fourth, third and second string on the 4th fret. Simultaneously, use your index finger to press the 2nd fret.

This is the position I've used the since the first time I played this chord on the ukulele. However, this is hard to do.

You can of course train your fingers to achieve greater agility. However there are other options you may consider to play it differently.

Did you know that you can use other fingers to play this chord? I'll explain three ways to place your fingers.

Using your index and ring finger

See the numbers in the dots? They indicates the fingers you'll need to use.

1: index finger

2: middle finger

3: ring finger

4: pinkie

So here, you need to use only the ring finger and the index finger.

To play the E chord with this configuration, you need to use your ring finger as a half-barre chord.

Press on the 4th fret with your ring finger on the strings 2, 3 and 4 (strings E, C, G), and the 2nd fret from string 1 (the A string).

Most of the time, playing barre chords is giving musicians a hard time, literally. It's never easy on the first try, but after some regular practice, you can get better at it.

Using your index and ring finger, plus the pinkie

You can see one small difference with the chord diagram from the previous part. On the 2nd string (E string), you press the fret with your pinkie.

If you cannot bar all three strings (G, C, E) with your ring finger, you can try this:

press the two last strings (G and C) with your ring finger, then press the second string (E) with your pinkie.

Using your index, ring finger, the pinkie but also the major finger

To press the three last strings, you don't need to bar any string.

This might be easier to do, but it could take a little longer to switch between another chord and this E version.

Exercises

Change chords

Switch between E and Am slowly - no need to rush.

E Am

Make sure to get a sound you like: play each chord multiple times, then play the string one after the other.

Shape of E

Switch between the E and Am7 slowly.

E Am7

Isn't Am7 the easiest chord to play on the ukulele? Even your 2-year-old toddler could play it!

The Am7 on the ukulele is played just like the C6. C6 is thus another great chord your toddler can play!

Make sure that when you lift your finger from the E position, you don't go much above the strings, and keep it "hovering".

That way, your hand can "memorize" the position a little bit more each time you practise.

Also, take your left hand completely off the uke, then play E again.

Wait, what is voicing?

A word about voicing.

You can play the same chords pressing different frets. This concept is called voicing.

For instance, the standard E (4442) and the following way to play the E chord results in two different voicing.

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Like each chord: play it, feel it.

Then play it slowly, string after string. Is the sound clear for each string? If not, you may want to readjust the position of some fingers.

E chord played 1402 : the second most used choice

This fingering may be the easiest for you. You can try and see for yourself.

E chord played 4447 : another way to play the E chord

It's like the C chord shifted up 4 frets.

You remember how you play the C chord? 0003. E is two tones higher-pitched (or 4 semi-tones), thus 4 frets higher (4 frets away from the head of the ukulele, closer to its body). Hence 4447.

Maybe easiest to play, if you can bar easily (it depends on the morphology of your finger).

Here is why I wouldn't recommend this chord.

You'll have to shift and move your hand much more to play other chords, when you're playing a song. Beside, as it has a higher pitch, it may not fit with other chords into your song.

Try it to hear how it sounds in your music.

Exercises E 4447

Try it now.

Do each exercise for at least 60 seconds.

After you do one exercise, allow your hands to rest for a minute. You don't want to put too much constraint on your muscles.

Do the exercises slowly at first, and seek a nice sound.

Then try slightly faster.

Until you get those really locked down.

Exercise:

A <-> E

Exercise:

E <-> G

Exercise:

E <-> F

E chord only with 3 strings

Still not convinced?

There is yet another way to play the E chord.

I don't recommend it, as you'll have to play only 3 strings and that prevents you to play many strums with your right hands - or at least, it makes it a little bit more difficult. But for simple rhythms, it'd be a good idea.

To play it, you can pluck the strings using your right hand, with the thumb on the 4th string, the index on the 2nd string and the middle finger on the 1st string.

With the PIMA notation:

Here, the x means that you shouldn't play the string.

PIMA notation

PIMA notation is a system used to indicate fingerpicking patterns for stringed instruments like the ukulele and guitar.

It assigns letters to the fingers of the plucking hand.

P (pulgar – thumb), I (índice – index), M (medio – middle), and A (anular – ring).

An extended version, PIMAC, includes C (chico – pinky) for more advanced techniques.

P: "pulgar", thumb

I: "índice", index

M: "medio", middle finger

A: "anular", ring finger

An extended version, PIMAC, for more advanced techniques.

C: "chico", pinkie

PIMA notation originates from classical guitar pedagogy. It is based on the Spanish names for the fingers of the plucking hand.

It has been widely adopted in fingerstyle playing.

Similar chords that sound OK

Chords similar to the E major may sound just fine if you use them instead of the terrifying E.

It may work for some musics, but may not sound as good in others.

Sometimes, it would sound even better when playing one of these alternative chords!

So, try them and listen to how they sound for you.

E5: power chord

Fifth chords (like E5) are also named power chords.

A bit of music theory

On a musical theory thing, it's like the E string where the 3rd is removed (the G♯). On the second string, instead of pressing the 4th fret and having the G♯ note, we have an open string E.

It consists of the root note (E) and the 5th (B), as well as possibly octaves of those notes.

How to play E5

To play this chord, you have multiple choices:

Here you use the ring finger and the pinkie to press on the 4th fret of the G and C strings.

Here, to press on the G and C strings, you use the middle finger and the ring finger.

A bit of music history

Power chords are a main part of metal music, as it sounds amazing on an amp with sound distortion and overdrive effects.

It's also very common in heavy metal and punk rock.

Use a capo

If you use a capo, it'll be much easier: you won't have to play the E chord, but the C chord.

There is a whole article on that for you.

You just have to put your capo on the 4th fret, then play a C chord.

Practise

Practise the E chord you've chosen every day for at least 5 minutes.

Slowly but surely, your fingers will "know" and get accustomed to the shape. And once it gets used to that shape, it will become like second nature. You won't even think about it anymore when you'll be changing chords.

Other E chords to bring up some exotic flavor

Here are other chords that you can try. I don't think they would replace an E chord, it's fun to try them nevertheless.

Esus2: 4422

Suspended chords are ones that I really love. Esus2 sounds better than Esus4 to me, but then it depends on the chord progression.

Esus4: 4400

E7sus4: 3344

Edim7 : 0101

Eaug: 1003

Em7: 0202

I love this one, it sounds so good, right?

Emaj7: 1302

Kinda hard to play, and sound a little spooky to me.

Em6: 0102

E6: 4444

E9: 1222

Conclusion

Throughout this article, we have explored various ways of playing the E chord, ranging from the widely used to the less conventional approaches.

Additionally, we have discussed alternative options, such as my personal favorite, the E7 chord.

I genuinely hope that you have discovered your own preference when it comes to playing the E chord. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Remember, the key is to try and practise slowly a couple of days, then see for yourself what you would prefer.

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I hope this article has helped you :)

Have a fantastic day! 🌞