E Chord on Ukulele
E = E – G# – B (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th)
A chord is the same notes however you stack them, and which one sits at the bottom changes how it sounds. The chord builder puts each of E's notes in the bass in turn, names the result, and plays it.
Hear every inversion of E →E major has a reputation among ukulele players that few other open chords share: it's widely considered the hardest common triad to finger in first position. The reason is structural rather than accidental — none of the pitch classes in an E major triad (E, G#, B) happen to coincide with any of the open GCEA strings, so there's no shortcut the way there is for C or Am. The standard fingering barres the index finger flat across the G, C, and E strings at the fourth fret, then reaches the middle finger back to the second fret on the A string, putting a full barre and an independent stretch into the same shape at once.
As a key center on its own, E major sits a major third above C and carries a bright, slightly strained energy that's audibly different from the relaxed openness of C or G — partly a genuine harmonic quality and partly a psychological one, since players tense up anticipating the difficulty. It also functions as the V chord in the key of A, making the E-to-A resolution a common cadence in songs written in that key. Some arrangers deliberately avoid E major in beginner-friendly charts, transposing a song instead to a friendlier key, which is part of why E shows up less often in early method books than its harmonic importance alone would suggest. Players who do commit to it often find the payoff is a genuinely rich four-note voicing, since — unlike some easier chords — every one of E major's notes is freshly fretted rather than borrowed from an open string, giving it a full, deliberate density.
Fingerings
Open Position
How to Practice It
Build this chord in two stages rather than trying to drop the whole shape at once: first form the barre alone across the G, C, and E strings at the fourth fret and strum just those three, checking each rings cleanly, then add the middle finger's reach to the A string's second fret. Keep the barre finger's first knuckle slightly bent rather than perfectly flat, which paradoxically gives more even pressure than a rigid straight finger. Some smaller-handed players find it easier to fret the A string first as an anchor and build the barre around it instead of the other way around — there's no single correct order, only whichever sequence lets the whole shape land together reliably. If the shape remains genuinely unworkable, a moveable barre chord higher up the neck, built from the same interval pattern as F major, gives an alternative E voicing that some players find more comfortable once that barre technique is solid.
Common Progressions
- I – IV – V (E – A – B, in the key of E)
- V – I (E – A, in the key of A)
- I – V – vi – IV (E – B – C#m – A)
- IV – V – I (A – B – E)
FAQ
- Why is E major considered the hardest open ukulele chord?
- None of its three notes — E, G#, and B — line up with any of the open G, C, E, or A strings, so unlike almost every other common triad, there's no shortcut available; the shape needs a full three-string barre plus an independent stretch to a different fret.
- Is there an easier way to play E major on ukulele?
- A moveable barre chord built on the same shape as F major, shifted up the neck to the right fret, gives an alternative voicing — useful once barre technique is comfortable, though it doesn't eliminate the barre requirement entirely.
- What's the best order to build the E major shape in?
- Most players form the three-string barre first and check it rings cleanly before reaching the middle finger back to the A string, though some prefer anchoring the A string first — either order works as long as the final shape lands together.
- Why do some songbooks avoid E major for beginners?
- Because of its genuine difficulty relative to every other common triad, some arrangers transpose a beginner-level song into a friendlier key rather than ask a new player to tackle this particular shape early on.
- What's E major's harmonic role in the key of A?
- It's the V chord, carrying the strongest possible pull back to A as the tonic, which makes the E-to-A cadence one of the most common two-chord relationships in songs written in that key.
- Does E major ever get played with a capo instead of the full shape?
- Some players prefer to capo up and use an easier open-position shape that lands on the same pitch, sidestepping the barre-plus-stretch difficulty entirely, though this trades convenience for a slightly different, higher-register tone color.
E on other instruments: E on Guitar, E on Piano. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.