I’m damaged bad, at best.” Behind the lyrics and hauntingly beautiful vocal harmonies, the guitar transitions quickly among several expanded chords. The bridge starts with the line, “Crooked spin can't come to rest. The bridge of “Say Yes” brings Smith’s myriad strengths sharply into focus and also illustrates the magic of this particular Em7. This track appears on the 1997 album Either/Or and is one of three of Smith’s songs to grace the soundtrack for Good Will Hunting. It’s also the perfect formation for instances like the bridge in “Say Yes” by Elliott Smith.

This version of the chord gives you a higher, more delicate sound. Strum four strings down from the D string. Pinky finger: 3rd fret of the E (1st) string Ring finger: 3rd fret of the B (2nd) string Middle finger: 2nd fret of the D (4th) string Your middle finger stretches over to the 2nd fret on the 4th string (A in standard tuning). Place your pinky and ring fingers on the 3rd fret of the high E and B strings, respectively. In this version you’ll omit the low E and A strings.

Here’s another version of Em7 in an open position. The Em7 chord formation above is a quick win, and it will help you get into playing classic songs like this 1973 hit. It creates a consistent groove that allows all the other elements to dance around it: Gaye’s emotive vocal performance the iconic electric guitar (wah wah wah wahhhhh) soaring horns warm backup vocals restrained but oh-so-satisfying drums (including the fill at 3:48 into the song -pure fire). The chord progression of the song is repetitive and relatively simple-which is exactly what the song needs.

This simple yet deep version of the chord is used in Marvin Gaye’s “Let's Get It On”. Strumming down from the low E string gives you the following notes from lowest to highest: E, B, D, G, B, E. Middle finger: 2nd fret of the A (5th) string You’ll fret just one note and play all six strings. If you’re already familiar with a open E minor chord (and even if you’re not), the following formation is probably the easiest to pick up. Let’s go over a few of those formations along with examples of songs that use each of these Em7 chord variations wisely. There are several different ways to play Em7 in an open position with standard tuning, most of which are highly accessible for beginner guitar players without compromising sound. The combination of the minor key (G is the flat 3rd of the major scale) and the 7th interval (D) give it a rich, interesting sound. E minor 7 (Em7) is a beautiful chord composed of the notes E, G, B, and D.

E flat minor 7th