How to Play E Major Chord on Guitar (Open Position)

E Major (also known as E) is a powerful chord that sounds great and is used in tons of popular songs.  Make sure you practice it using the below video and try to visualize the shape of the chord.

Finger Position for E Major (Open Position):

•  Place Your Left Index Finger on the 3rd String, 1st Fret
•  Place Your Left Middle Finger on the 5th String, 2nd Fret
•  Place Your Left Ring Finger on the 4th String, 2nd Fret
•  Strings 6, 2 and 1 are used in this E Major Chord,
  but are not fretted - they are called open strings

Other chords that sound great with E Major:  

F# Minor, G# Minor, A Major, B Major,  C# Minor

I would recommend switching between E Major, A Major and B Major if you are a beginner.  The other chords below can be tricky, especially if you are not comfortable with barre chords.  Change them around in any order.  You can play them fast or slow.  There is really no wrong way to use these chords, so experiment and have fun!  They should all should really nice together (these chords are all part of an E Major scale):

E Major in tablature (or tab) form:
As you learn more about the guitar, you will eventually come across guitar tablature (or guitar tabs).  It's a quick way to map out how to play a chord on the guitar using the standard six strings on the guitar: E, A, D, G, B and High E (shown below as e)

e|-0- (First String, Open Fret)

B|-0- (Second String, Open Fret)

G|-1- (Third String, First Fret)

D|-2- (Fourth String, Second Fret)

A|-2- (Fifth String, Second Fret)

E|-0- (Sixth String, Open Fret)

You may also see E Major tabbed out as:

0-2-2-1-0-0

Easy Guitar Songs using E Major You Can Play Right Now:

It can be really really boring to just learn chords.  Playing along with your favorite songs will turn these chords into something real that you can use right away.  Below are some easy songs that you use E Major.  Grab your guitar and play along with these songs!

Wild Thing - By The Troggs
Verse: A D E D
Verse Strumming:  Strum 2 times down on the guitar for each chord
Chorus: G A G A
Chorus Strumming: Strum 1 time down for each chord

What I Like About You - The Ramones
Verse: E A D A
Beginner Strumming: Strum 2 times on the guitar for each chord
Advanced Strumming:  Great instructional video on this song from Marty Schwartz

Do you have other easy beginner songs that you can play using an E Major Chord?  Over time, I may update this post with additional songs, so please leave a comment below and share it with us!