E♯maj7 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The E♯maj7 chord is a major seventh chord built on the root note E♯. Its notes are E♯, G𝄪, B♯ and D𝄪. It's enharmonically the same chord as Fmaj7.
Major seventh chords are lush, open and slightly jazzy. Stacking a major third on top of a major triad gives them a dreamy colour often heard in bossa nova, soul and modern R&B.
- Notes
- E♯ · G𝄪 · B♯ · D𝄪
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 11
- Note
- E♯
- Quality
- Major 7
- Symbol
- E♯maj7
E♯maj7 on piano
4 notes
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play E♯maj7 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on E♯, index finger on G𝄪, middle finger on B♯ and little finger on D𝄪. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard every note of E♯maj7 is a white key, the keys you'd normally call F, A, C and E. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- E♯1
- G𝄪3
- B♯5
- D𝄪7
E♯maj7 on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, E♯maj7 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
E♯ · G𝄪 · B♯ · D𝄪
Play E♯maj7 on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
E♯maj7 chord notes
Also known as Fmaj7
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | E♯(E#) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | G𝄪(G##) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | B♯(B#) | |
| 7 | Major seventh | 11 | D𝄪(D##) |
How to use the E♯maj7 chord
The E♯maj7 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth and a major seventh. Start at the root E♯ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: E♯, G𝄪, B♯ and D𝄪. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Major seventh chords colour jazz standards, bossa nova, soul and modern pop. They most often serve as Imaj7 or IVmaj7 in a major key to add warmth without changing the function.
How E♯maj7 differs from similar chords
E♯maj7 is not E♯7: its seventh sits a half step below the root rather than a whole step, so it floats instead of pulling. Next to E♯6, which adds the sixth instead, E♯maj7 sounds lusher and more modern. The major seventh is the only note that separates it from a plain E♯ triad.
Where E♯maj7 is used
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key E♯maj7 would have a function in has a tonic that needs a double accidental, which is not a key this library teaches. The enharmonic spelling carries the same chord in a key that exists.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the E♯maj7 chord?
- The E♯maj7 chord contains E♯, G𝄪, B♯ and D𝄪 (E#, G##, B# and D## in plain text).
- Is the E♯maj7 chord major or minor?
- E♯maj7 is a major seventh chord. Major seventh chords are lush, open and slightly jazzy. Stacking a major third on top of a major triad gives them a dreamy colour often heard in bossa nova, soul and modern R&B.
- How do you play E♯maj7 on piano?
- Place your fingers on E♯, G𝄪, B♯ and D𝄪 and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard every note of E♯maj7 is a white key, the keys you'd normally call F, A, C and E.
- How do you play E♯maj7 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them.
- What is another name for the E♯maj7 chord?
- E♯maj7 is enharmonically equivalent to Fmaj7. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.