You are pointing to the difference between è and é (et = è and er = é). For canadians, the difference is massive, but it's less pronounced for the French from France as they stess less on è that I would.
For me, é is a small almost relax smile, sweet to pronounce (like english "ay") whereas è is a bigger "smile" (almost a grin) less pleasant sound (like in the word "merry", "gem" or "pet").
I hope this helps!