F♭5 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The F♭5 chord is a power chord built on the root note F♭. Its notes are F♭ and C♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as E5.
Power chords have no third at all, only a root and a fifth, so they are neither major nor minor. That emptiness is the point: run one through a distorted amp and it stays clean and thick where a full triad would turn to mud.
- Notes
- F♭ · C♭
- Formula
- 1 · 5
- Semitones
- 0 · 7
- Note
- F♭
- Quality
- Power Chord (5)
- Symbol
- F♭5
F♭5 on piano
2 notes
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play F♭5 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on F♭ and little finger on C♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard every note of F♭5 is a white key, the keys you'd normally call E and B. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- F♭1
- C♭5
F♭5 on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, F♭5 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 2: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Strings 6, 2 and 1 ring open.
F♭ · C♭
Play F♭5 on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
F♭5 chord notes
Also known as E5
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | F♭(Fb) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | C♭(Cb) |
How to use the F♭5 chord
The F♭5 chord is built from a root and a perfect fifth. Start at the root F♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: F♭ and C♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Power chords drive punk, metal, grunge and hard rock, played on the low strings with distortion. Guitarists move a single shape up and down the neck, which is why riffs built from them transpose so easily.
How F♭5 differs from similar chords
F♭5 holds only the root and the fifth, so unlike F♭ or F♭m it has no third to decide its colour. With two notes it is the smallest chord in the library, often doubled with the root an octave up. The same F♭5 shape therefore fits major and minor songs alike.
Where F♭5 is used
No progression is shown for a power chord
F♭5 has no third, so it carries no major or minor function and cannot take a Roman numeral. Any progression printed here would belong to a different chord.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the F♭5 chord?
- The F♭5 chord contains F♭ and C♭ (Fb and Cb in plain text).
- Is the F♭5 chord major or minor?
- F♭5 is a power chord. Power chords have no third at all, only a root and a fifth, so they are neither major nor minor. That emptiness is the point: run one through a distorted amp and it stays clean and thick where a full triad would turn to mud.
- How do you play F♭5 on piano?
- Place your fingers on F♭ and C♭ 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 every note of F♭5 is a white key, the keys you'd normally call E and B.
- How do you play F♭5 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 2: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Strings 6, 2 and 1 ring open.
- What is another name for the F♭5 chord?
- F♭5 is enharmonically equivalent to E5. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.