When a song is in the key of  G major, the Em chord will seamlessly intertwine with the tonic.  Remember, ”Tonic” is just a fancy word for the root chord.  It’s often referred to as the 1 chord, or the Roman numeral I chord. This chord is dependent upon the key signature of the song- in this case, G major.

We have learned every major key has one relative minor chord associated with it.  Em is the relative, or natural minor, for G.  The G major scale and the Em scale have the same exact notes, just different roots, so you can’t go wrong…

Fig. 1: The G Major Scale & E Minor Scale

They share the same notes- just start on different root notes.

Fig. 2:  Open Strings Are Our Friends

Always use open strings to your advantage. They always sound better than fretted notes.

Fig. 3: Same Fills- Different Sound

What sounds good over G sounds good over Em.

Fig. 4: D/F#: The Magical Connector Chord

The D/F# chord is like a bridge between G and Em.

Fig. 5: The Connector Chord In Action

This walk down (or walk-up in reverse) is used time and time again in all genres of music.