As the tonic (I)E♭ major
Home. The loop leaves E♭ Major and keeps coming back to it.
E♭ Major Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The E♭ Major chord is built on the root note E♭. Its notes are E♭, G and B♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as D♯ 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
- E♭ · G · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7
- Note
- E♭
- Quality
- Major
- Symbol
- E♭
E♭ 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 E♭ Major on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on E♭, middle finger on G and little finger on B♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard E♭ and B♭ are black keys and G is white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- E♭1
- G3
- B♭5
E♭ Major on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, E♭ Major is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 6: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play string 6. If the full barre won't ring yet, play strings 4 to 1 only: they already hold all three notes.
E♭ · G · B♭
Try E♭ Major on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
E♭ Major chord notes
Also known as D♯ Major
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | E♭(Eb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | G | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | B♭(Bb) |
How to use the E♭ Major chord
The E♭ Major chord is built from a root, a major third and a perfect fifth. Start at the root E♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: E♭, G and B♭. 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 E♭ is the IV in B♭ major, the I in E♭ major and the V in A♭ major; in minor keys it's the VI in G minor, the III in C minor and the VII in F minor.
How E♭ Major differs from similar chords
E♭ and E♭m share the root and the fifth, and the only difference is the third: a major third in E♭, a minor third in E♭m. Add a major seventh and it becomes E♭maj7, add a minor seventh and it becomes E♭7. Of all the chords on this root, the plain major triad is the one that sounds finished.
Songs that use the E♭ Major chord
These well-known tracks all play the E♭ Major chord somewhere - they are not necessarily in that key.
- 1EasyCommodores
- 2HelloAdele
- 3What a Wonderful WorldLouis Armstrong
- 4Killing Me SoftlyFugees
- 5RudeMagic!
Where E♭ 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 E♭
These scales include E♭ as one of their diatonic chords. Use them to find melodies and improvisation ideas that fit perfectly.
C Natural Minor
C · D · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭
C Dorian
C · D · E♭ · F · G · A · B♭
C Phrygian
C · D♭ · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭
C Aeolian
C · D · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭
D Phrygian
D · E♭ · F · G · A · B♭ · C
D Locrian
D · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭ · C
D Phrygian Dominant
D · E♭ · F♯ · G · A · B♭ · C
D Gypsy Major
D · E♭ · F♯ · G · A · B♭ · C♯
D Neapolitan Minor
D · E♭ · F · G · A · B♭ · C♯
D Persian
D · E♭ · F♯ · G · A♭ · B♭ · C♯
E♭ Major
E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭ · C · D
E♭ Lydian
E♭ · F · G · A · B♭ · C · D
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the E♭ Major chord?
- The E♭ Major chord contains E♭, G and B♭ (Eb, G and Bb in plain text).
- Is the E♭ Major chord major or minor?
- E♭ 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 E♭ Major chord in?
- In major keys E♭ is the IV in B♭ major, the I in E♭ major and the V in A♭ major; in minor keys it's the VI in G minor, the III in C minor and the VII in F minor.
- How do you play E♭ Major on piano?
- Place your fingers on E♭, G and B♭ 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 B♭ are black keys and G is white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play E♭ Major on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 6: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play string 6. 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 E♭ Major chord?
- E♭ Major is enharmonically equivalent to D♯ Major. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.