Learn › E Minor Chord on Piano, Left Hand (Em)
New Released in April 2026
E Minor Chord on Piano, Left Hand (Em)
Play Em with the left hand on E, G and B, in the octave below middle C, fingers 5 3 1. Below you find the shape, five accompaniment patterns and a progression where the hand barely moves.
No account, no download. The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.
- MIDI keyboard
- Digital or acoustic piano
- Guitar
- Computer, phone or tablet
From block chord to moving bass on Em
Start with the first, add one pattern per day. Count four beats for each.
| Pattern | Notes | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Block chord | E+G+B | slow songs, ballads, the first week |
| Root and fifth | E+B | driving rhythms, a strong open sound |
| Broken chord (low, high, middle, high) | E B G B | classical style, gentle songs |
| Arpeggio up and down | E G B G | flowing accompaniment, 3/4 or 6/8 |
| Octave bass | E+E | a heavy bass under a loud melody |
Where the left hand plays Em
Finger 5 (little finger) always takes the bottom note. Keep the hand low, near middle C but below it: lower than that the chord gets muddy. All 3 notes are white keys, so the hand lies flat.
| Position | Notes, bottom up | Fingers |
|---|---|---|
| Root position | E G B | 5 3 1 |
| 1st inversion | G B E | 5 3 1 |
| 2nd inversion | B E G | 5 2 1 |
Both hands on Em
Over Em, the safest right-hand notes are the chord notes E G B; scale notes between them work as passing notes.
Try the right hand in another position of Em while the left holds root position.
Change from Em without jumping
The table gives the closest position for each chord, so the left hand moves as little as possible.
| Chord | Left hand plays | Keys that stay |
|---|---|---|
| Em | E G B (Root position) | starting chord |
| Am | E A C (2nd inversion) | E |
| B | D# F# B (1st inversion) | new position |
| Em | E G B (Root position) | B |
Make the left hand automatic on Em
- Find E below middle C with finger 5 and drop the hand on E, G and B.
- Go through the patterns in the order of the table: block chord; root and fifth; broken chord; arpeggio up and down; octave bass.
- Loop Em → Am → B → Em with the positions above, eyes on the music, not on the hand.
- Then keep the left hand steady while the right hand plays any chord note: that is the goal.
Short daily practice wins: the left hand learns by repetition, not by long sessions.
Play Em in ChordRunner
Practise reading the symbol and finding the chord fast: ChordRunner gives you one chord after another, with MIDI or microphone, and adds harder chord types level by level.
Play the demoCommon questions
How do you play Em on piano with the left hand?
Put finger 5 on E below middle C and play E, G and B with fingers 5 3 1.
Can the left hand play just two notes of Em?
Yes: root and fifth, E B. It keeps the bass full and leaves the colour to the right hand.
Is the left hand the same as the right hand for Em?
Same notes, mirrored fingers: the right hand plays Em with 1 3 5, the left hand with 5 3 1, because the little finger sits at the bottom.
Does a game count Em if I play it low with the left hand?
In ChordRunner, yes: the game listens for the notes E, G and B, not for a hand or an octave. Use a USB MIDI keyboard, or the microphone with a real piano.
Your instrument is the controller.
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.
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