The Steel Guitar Forum

How do I play an Em7 chord on a 3-pedal student model with E9 tuning and a Jimmy Day setup?

A and B pedals down at the tenth fret. Strings 4, 5 6 and 7. It's also a G6 chord. If I were going to play it in a song, I would probably omit the 5th string (b note). That would give the chord a little more air. You hear that voicing in some Tom Petty stuff.

8th fret, e lever (lowers e string half step. C down to B) depending on how you want to go about inverting it, or strum/gripping it the following are part of the chord.

1 = D,
2 = don't play,
3 = E,
4 = B,
5 = G,
6 = E,
7 = D,
8 = B,
9 = don't play,
10 = G

Also, C pedal 3rd fret.

If you have a 1/2 step lower on your 9th string-

My favorite voicing is:

3rd fret - no pedals

4
5
6
9th lowered 1/2 step

TC

Since the Em7 contains all the notes of a G chord, if you have a bass player playing the E note, you can play the G chord and the Em7 will be the result of the 2 instruments combined.

Here is one I use quite a bit;

B pedal in

5th fret
strings 10 ,9, 7, 6

If you lower your 2nd string down to D the chord goes across the neck pretty well.

Most general scale use to play within an Em7 is the Dorian mode of the D major scale.
The G major chord is most generally best choice to use as an Em7 on the E9 due to the limit of 3 notes.
For an Em7 chord I play a G major chord and pick in a D major scale.