Chords in E minor
E minor is built from the notes E, F#, G, A, B, C and D. Its scale carries 1 sharp. Harmonising that scale in thirds gives seven chords — 3 majors, 3 minors and 1 diminished — starting on Em as the i. The chord on the fifth degree is Bm rather than a major V, so E minor has no leading tone and resolves by step and colour instead of by dominant pull — the sound that separates it from a plain E major.
Beyond those seven, E minor commonly borrows E (I), F#m (ii), G#m (iii), A (IV) and B (V) from the parallel major — the mixture chords that give a progression somewhere unexpected to go.
The seven chords
Extended to four notes each, the same seven degrees give Em7, F#m7b5, Gmaj7, Am7, Bm7, Cmaj7, D7.
Borrowed chords
Play E minor with no capo — its own shapes are already the easiest ones.
All eight capo positions for E minor →