semicord

Emaj7 E major seventh chord

Notes
E G# B D#
Formula
1 3 5 7
Semitones
0 4 7 11 above the root
Other symbols
EM7, EΔ7

E to G# is a major third (4 semitones), G# to B is a minor third (3 semitones), B to D# is a major third (4 semitones). A major triad plus the note a half step below the root (D#). It has no tritone, so it sounds settled and soft rather than restless like E7.

Emaj7 on the piano

C4D4E4F4G4A4B4C5D5E5F5G5A5B5C#4Eb4F#4G#4Bb4C#5D#5F#5Ab5Bb5C4EG#BC5D#

Root position from E4: E4, G#4, B4, D#5. Middle C is C4.

Emaj7 on the guitar

Standard tuning (E A D G B E). Strings run low E on the left to high e on the right, frets downwards; × is a muted string, ○ an open string, and each dot shows the note it sounds, with the root in blue-green. Every shape below has E as its lowest note.

E×D#D#G#G#B×
Open position (E-shape)
0 x 1 1 0 x (low E to high e)
Sounds E2 D#3 G#3 B3
7fr×EEBBD#D#G#G#BB
A-shape barre, root on the A string at fret 7
x 7 9 8 9 7 (low E to high e)
Sounds E3 B3 D#4 G#4 B4

The barre shapes are movable: an E-shape chord's root is the note under your first finger on the low E string, an A-shape chord's root is the note on the A string. Slide the same grip up or down to play major seventh chords on other roots.

Inversions of Emaj7

An inversion puts a note other than the root in the bass. The name is what semicord's chord finder calls those notes played bottom to top; a slash name like C/E means a C chord with E in the bass.

PositionNotes, bass firstNamedListen
Root positionE G# B D#Emaj7
1st inversionG# B D# EEmaj7/G#
2nd inversionB D# E G#Emaj7/B
3rd inversionD# E G# BE/D# (also read as Emaj7/D#)

Where Emaj7 fits

Emaj7 is Imaj7 in E major, IVmaj7 in B major.