As the tonic (I)C♭ major
Home. The loop leaves C♭ Major and keeps coming back to it.
C♭ Major Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The C♭ Major chord is built on the root note C♭. Its notes are C♭, E♭ and G♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as B Major.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Major chords feel bright, stable and resolved. A root, a major third and a perfect fifth give them a happy, confident sound. Most popular music is built on them.
- Notes
- C♭ · E♭ · G♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7
- Note
- C♭
- Quality
- Major
- Symbol
- C♭
C♭ Major on piano
3 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play C♭ Major on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on C♭, middle finger on E♭ and little finger on G♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard E♭ and G♭ are black keys and C♭ is white, the key you'd normally call B. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- C♭1
- E♭3
- G♭5
C♭ Major on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, C♭ Major is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 7: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. If the full barre won't ring yet, play strings 4 to 1 only: they already hold all three notes.
C♭ · E♭ · G♭
Try C♭ Major on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
C♭ Major chord notes
Also known as B Major
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | C♭(Cb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | E♭(Eb) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | G♭(Gb) |
How to use the C♭ Major chord
The C♭ Major chord is built from a root, a major third and a perfect fifth. Start at the root C♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: C♭, E♭ and G♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
You'll find major chords in almost every style of popular music: rock anthems, country ballads, pop hits and hymns. They commonly appear as the I, IV and V chords in a major key.
In major keys C♭ is the IV in G♭ major and the I in C♭ major; in minor keys it's the VI in E♭ minor and the III in A♭ minor.
How C♭ Major differs from similar chords
C♭ and C♭m share the root and the fifth, and the only difference is the third: a major third in C♭, a minor third in C♭m. Add a major seventh and it becomes C♭maj7, add a minor seventh and it becomes C♭7. Of all the chords on this root, the plain major triad is the one that sounds finished.
Where C♭ Major is used
A major chord is at home as a tonic, and just as useful as the IV or the V of a neighbouring key. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.
Scales that contain C♭
These scales include C♭ as one of their diatonic chords. Use them to find melodies and improvisation ideas that fit perfectly.
E♭ Natural Minor
E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭
E♭ Harmonic Minor
E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D
E♭ Phrygian
E♭ · F♭ · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭
E♭ Aeolian
E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭
E♭ Locrian
E♭ · F♭ · G♭ · A♭ · B𝄫 · C♭ · D♭
E♭ Hungarian Minor
E♭ · F · G♭ · A · B♭ · C♭ · D
E♭ Neapolitan Minor
E♭ · F♭ · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D
E♭ Altered
E♭ · F♭ · G♭ · A𝄫 · B𝄫 · C♭ · D♭
F Locrian
F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭ · E♭
F Altered
F · G♭ · A♭ · B𝄫 · C♭ · D♭ · E♭
A♭ Natural Minor
A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭ · E♭ · F♭ · G♭
A♭ Dorian
A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭ · E♭ · F · G♭
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the C♭ Major chord?
- The C♭ Major chord contains C♭, E♭ and G♭ (Cb, Eb and Gb in plain text).
- Is the C♭ Major chord major or minor?
- C♭ Major is a major chord. Major chords feel bright, stable and resolved. A root, a major third and a perfect fifth give them a happy, confident sound. Most popular music is built on them.
- What key is the C♭ Major chord in?
- In major keys C♭ is the IV in G♭ major and the I in C♭ major; in minor keys it's the VI in E♭ minor and the III in A♭ minor.
- How do you play C♭ Major on piano?
- Place your fingers on C♭, E♭ and G♭ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard E♭ and G♭ are black keys and C♭ is white, the key you'd normally call B.
- How do you play C♭ Major on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 7: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. If the full barre won't ring yet, play strings 4 to 1 only: they already hold all three notes.
- What is another name for the C♭ Major chord?
- C♭ Major is enharmonically equivalent to B Major. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.