Banjo Em chord (C Tuning)E minor on the 5-string banjo: x 0 0 2, and 6 more shapes

Em chord chart for 5-string banjo in C Tuning tuning: x 0 0 2, open position, with the short 5th string marked
Em (E minor) on the 5-string banjo, C Tuning: x 0 0 2, string 4 to string 1. Fingers are numbered on the dots; copper marks the root; the green ring on the left is the 5th string, solid when it’s in the chord.

Frets, string 4 to string 1: x 0 0 2 (open position)

  1. String 4 (C): not played
  2. String 3 (G): open, G
  3. String 2 (B): open, B
  4. String 1 (D): 2nd fret, index finger, E
  5. String 5, the short g: open, G, in the chord

Sounds: G B E  ·  Em is E, G, B (1 · ♭3 · 5)

Found in: G major (vi), D major (ii), C major (iii), G mixolydian (vi), A mixolydian (v), D mixolydian (ii)

The 5th string: the short g is the minor 3rd of Em, so let it ring.

C Tuning tuning: gCGBD, the short 5th string first, then strings 4 to 1.

Hear it in the app ›

The link can’t set the tuning: the app starts in open G. Choose C Tuning once in its Settings and it remembers.

More Em shapes

  1. 341gEBBE4 4 0 2
    open · 5th string completes it
  2. 2fr2341gEBEE4 4 5 2
    2fr · 5th string completes it
  3. 4fr1123gEBEG4 4 5 5
    4fr
  4. 7fr1324gGEGB7 9 8 9
    7fr
  5. 9fr312gBEBB11 9 0 9
    9fr · 5th string completes it
  6. 11fr1234gBGBE11 12 12 14
    11fr

Other E chords in C Tuning

EEmE7Em7Emaj7E6Esus4Esus2EdimEaug

Other minor chords

GmAmDmCmBmEmFmB♭mE♭mF♯mC♯mA♭m

Em in other tunings

Open GDouble CSawmillOpen D

All C Tuning banjo chords · Printable chart (PDF) · How to tune · The app