E Major Banjo Chords and Chord Progressions

The key of E major has four sharps. For reference, here are the notes in the E major scale:

  • E
  • F Sharp
  • G Sharp
  • A
  • B
  • C Sharp
  • D Sharp

All the chords in the key of E major are made up of these seven notes, and each note gets to be the root note for one of the chords, thus making seven triad chords in this key.

  • E Major
  • F Sharp Minor
  • G Sharp Minor
  • A Major
  • B Major
  • C Sharp Minor
  • D Sharp Diminished

Note: In this article I’m using banjo chord charts that I created using Microsoft Paint. Here are all the banjo chord charts that are free to use personally and commercially under Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License.

I Chord — E Major or E Major Seventh

The first chord (I) in the key of E major is the E major chord. Below is my preferred way to play the E major chord on banjo.

E Major chord chart for banjo

The E major seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the I chord in the key of E major. Below is my favorite way to play the E major seventh chord.

E Major Seventh chord chart for banjo

ii Chord — F Sharp Minor or F Sharp Minor Seventh

The second chord (ii) in the key of E major is the F sharp minor chord. Below is my preferred way to play the F sharp minor chord on banjo.

F Sharp Minor chord chart for banjo

The F sharp minor seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the ii chord in the key of E major. Below is my favorite way to play the F sharp minor seventh chord.

F Sharp Minor Seventh chord chart for banjo

iii Chord — G Sharp Minor or G Sharp Minor Seventh

The third chord (iii) in the key of E major is the G sharp minor chord. Below is my preferred way to play the G sharp minor chord on banjo.

G Sharp Minor chord chart for banjo

The G sharp minor seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the iii chord in the key of E major. Below is my favorite way to play the G sharp minor seventh chord.

G Sharp Minor Seventh chord chart for banjo

IV Chord — A Major or A Major Seventh

The fourth chord (IV) in the key of E major is the A major chord. Below is my preferred way to play the A major chord on banjo.

A Major chord chart for banjo

The A major seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the IV chord in the key of E major. Below is my favorite way to play the A major seventh chord.

A Major Seventh chord chart for banjo

V Chord — B Major or B Dominant Seventh

The fifth chord (V) in the key of E major is the B major chord. Below is my preferred way to play the B major chord on banjo.

B Major chord chart for banjo

The B dominant seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the V chord in the key of E major. Below is my favorite way to play the B dominant seventh chord.

B Dominant Seventh chord chart for banjo

vi Chord — C Sharp Minor or C Sharp Minor Seventh

The sixth chord (vi) in the key of E major is the C sharp minor chord. Below is my preferred way to play the C sharp minor chord on banjo.

C Sharp Minor chord chart for banjo

The C sharp minor seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the vi chord in the key of E major. Below is my favorite way to play the C sharp minor seventh chord.

C Sharp Minor Seventh chord chart for banjo

viidim Chord — D Sharp Diminished or D Sharp Minor Seventh Flat Five

The seventh chord (viidim) in the key of E major is the D sharp diminished chord. Below is my preferred way to play the D sharp diminished chord on banjo.

D Sharp Diminished chord chart for banjo

The D sharp minor seventh flat five chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the viidim chord in the key of E major. Below is my favorite way to play the D sharp minor seventh flat five chord.

D Sharp Minor Seventh Flat Five chord chart for banjo

Chord Progressions in the Key of E Major

Here are 10 chord progressions in the key of E Major that you can experiment with. I have included banjo tablature to make playing the chords easier for you.

1. E Major, A Major, B Major

D| --9---9-----2---2-----4---4---
B| --9---9-----2---2-----4---4---
G| --9---9-----2---2-----4---4---
D| --9---9-----2---2-----4---4---
G| ------------------------------

2. E Major, B Major, C Sharp Minor, A Major

D| --9---9-----4---4-----6---6-----2---2---
B| --9---9-----4---4-----5---5-----2---2---
G| --9---9-----4---4-----6---6-----2---2---
D| --9---9-----4---4-----6---6-----2---2---
G| ----------------------------------------

3. E Major, A Major, E Major, B Major

D| --9---9-----2---2-----9---9-----4---4---
B| --9---9-----2---2-----9---9-----4---4---
G| --9---9-----2---2-----9---9-----4---4---
D| --9---9-----2---2-----9---9-----4---4---
G| ----------------------------------------

4. E Major, G Sharp Minor, A Major, C Sharp Minor

D| --9---9-----1---1-----2---2-----6---6---
B| --9---9-----0---0-----2---2-----5---5---
G| --9---9-----1---1-----2---2-----6---6---
D| --9---9-----1---1-----2---2-----6---6---
G| ----------------------------------------

5. C Sharp Minor, A Major, E Major, B Major

D| --6---6-----2---2-----9---9-----4---4---
B| --5---5-----2---2-----9---9-----4---4---
G| --6---6-----2---2-----9---9-----4---4---
D| --6---6-----2---2-----9---9-----4---4---
G| ----------------------------------------

6. A Major, E Major, B Major, E Major

D| --2---2-----9---9-----4---4-----9---9---
B| --2---2-----9---9-----4---4-----9---9---
G| --2---2-----9---9-----4---4-----9---9---
D| --2---2-----9---9-----4---4-----9---9---
G| ----------------------------------------

7. E Major, C Sharp Minor, A Major, B Major

D| --9---9-----6---6-----2---2-----4---4---
B| --9---9-----5---5-----2---2-----4---4---
G| --9---9-----6---6-----2---2-----4---4---
D| --9---9-----6---6-----2---2-----4---4---
G| ----------------------------------------

8. F Sharp Minor, B Major, E Major, C Sharp Minor

D| --11--11----4---4-----9---9-----6---6---
B| --10--10----4---4-----9---9-----5---5---
G| --11--11----4---4-----9---9-----6---6---
D| --11--11----4---4-----9---9-----6---6---
G| ----------------------------------------

9. E Major, A Major, C Sharp Minor, B Major

D| --9---9-----2---2-----6---6-----4---4---
B| --9---9-----2---2-----5---5-----4---4---
G| --9---9-----2---2-----6---6-----4---4---
D| --9---9-----2---2-----6---6-----4---4---
G| ----------------------------------------

10. E Major, F Sharp Minor, G Sharp Minor, A Major, B Major

D| --9---9-----11--11----1---1-----2---2-----4---4---
B| --9---9-----10--10----0---0-----2---2-----4---4---
G| --9---9-----11--11----1---1-----2---2-----4---4---
D| --9---9-----11--11----1---1-----2---2-----4---4---
G| --------------------------------------------------

11. E Major, A Major, F Sharp Minor, B Major

D| --9---9-----2---2-----11--11----4---4---
B| --9---9-----2---2-----10--10----4---4---
G| --9---9-----2---2-----11--11----4---4---
D| --9---9-----2---2-----11--11----4---4---
G| ----------------------------------------

12. E Major, B Major, C Sharp Minor, G Sharp Minor, A Major, E Major, A Major, B Major

D| --9---9-----4---4-----6---6-----1---1-----2---2-----9---9-----2---2-----4---4---
B| --9---9-----4---4-----5---5-----0---0-----2---2-----9---9-----2---2-----4---4---
G| --9---9-----4---4-----6---6-----1---1-----2---2-----9---9-----2---2-----4---4---
D| --9---9-----4---4-----6---6-----1---1-----2---2-----9---9-----2---2-----4---4---
G| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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