Emaj7 Chord on Ukulele
Emaj7 = E – G# – B – D# (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, Major 7th)
There's a genuine oddity in how Emaj7 sits on the neck: four fingers, each on its own string, none of them barred together — index on the G string's first fret, ring reaching to the C string's third fret, the E string left ringing open, and middle finger settling on the A string's second fret. Compare that to plain E major's imposing three-string barre and this chord, despite carrying a longer name, is measurably the friendlier of the two to actually fret.
Where the plain E triad pushes forward with a bright urgency, the added major seventh pulls that energy back into something unhurried and glowing rather than resolved-and-done. Jazz-leaning and bossa-nova-flavored ukulele charts reach for this voicing as the I chord in the key of E precisely for that reason, and it does the same softening job as the IVmaj7 chord when a song centers on B instead. What makes the whole thing worth noting is the contrast: the harder, tenser-sounding plain triad demands the harder shape, while this smoother, more settled color turns out to be the one that lets the barre go entirely.
Fingerings
Open Position
How to Practice It
Because nothing here is barred, treat the four fingers as four separate small decisions rather than one combined motion — most players get the most mileage out of seating the ring finger's third-fret reach first, since it travels the farthest, and filling the rest of the shape in around that placement. A useful side-by-side experiment: fret plain E major, then this chord, back to back, paying attention not just to the sound difference but to how much less tension sits in the hand once the barre disappears. Landing a simple I-IV-V phrase in E on Emaj7 instead of the plain tonic is worth trying just to hear how that ending changes color.
Common Progressions
- Imaj7 substituting for the tonic in the key of E (Emaj7 – A – B – Emaj7)
- IVmaj7 in the key of B (Emaj7 – B)
- I – IV – V – Imaj7 (E – A – B – Emaj7), softening the final resolution
- A static Emaj7 vamp suits a slow, reflective passage.
FAQ
- Does Emaj7 need the same barre plain E major does?
- No — all four notes fall on different strings without needing to double any pitch, so the shape uses four independent fingers instead of a three-string barre, making it noticeably easier despite sharing the same root.
- How does Emaj7 change E major's character?
- The major seventh softens the plain triad's bright, forceful energy into something calmer and more stable, replacing urgency with a reflective, unresolved-sounding richness that doesn't need to move anywhere.
- What styles of ukulele playing use Emaj7 most?
- Jazz-influenced and bossa nova-leaning arrangements reach for it often, wanting a more sophisticated tonic color in the key of E without the harsher edge a dominant seventh would introduce.
- Which finger is the best anchor when building the Emaj7 shape?
- Many players start with the ring finger's third-fret stretch on the C string, since it's the widest reach in the shape, and build the other three fingers in around that anchor point.
- Is it strange that Emaj7 is easier than plain E major?
- It's a genuine irony of the instrument's tuning — adding the major seventh happens to let every note fall onto a separate string without doubling, removing the barre that the plain triad's note spacing otherwise requires.
- What note does Emaj7 add compared to the plain E triad?
- D#, the major seventh above E, fretted on the C string's third fret — the note responsible for the chord's smooth, suspended-sounding color relative to the plain major triad's more resolved brightness.
- Does Emaj7 ever get confused with E7 by ear?
- Not once the two are heard side by side — E7's flatted seventh creates real dominant tension pulling toward A, while Emaj7's natural seventh is stable and unhurried, so despite the similar name the two chords serve almost opposite harmonic purposes.
- Is Emaj7 worth learning even before plain E major feels solid?
- It's a reasonable order to try, precisely because it avoids the barre altogether — some players find building comfort with an E-rooted sound through Emaj7 first makes the eventual jump to the harder plain triad feel less daunting.
- Which finger typically frets the open-adjacent E string neighbors in this shape?
- None do — the E string itself stays fully open in this voicing, which is part of why the chord needs no barre at all despite covering all four chord tones across the other three strings individually.
Emaj7 on other instruments: Emaj7 on Guitar, Emaj7 on Piano. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.