As the IVC♭ major
- Imaj7C♭maj7
- IVmaj7F♭maj7
- V7G♭7
- Imaj7C♭maj7
F♭maj7 is the step away from home that makes the return feel like a return.
F♭maj7 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The F♭maj7 chord is a major seventh chord built on the root note F♭. Its notes are F♭, A♭, C♭ and E♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as Emaj7.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Major seventh chords are lush, open and slightly jazzy. Stacking a major third on top of a major triad gives them a dreamy colour often heard in bossa nova, soul and modern R&B.
- Notes
- F♭ · A♭ · C♭ · E♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 11
- Note
- F♭
- Quality
- Major 7
- Symbol
- F♭maj7
F♭maj7 on piano
4 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play F♭maj7 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on F♭, index finger on A♭, middle finger on C♭ and little finger on E♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard A♭ and E♭ are black keys and F♭ and C♭ are white, 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
- A♭3
- C♭5
- E♭7
F♭maj7 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, F♭maj7 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. Don't play string 6.
F♭ · A♭ · C♭ · E♭
Play F♭maj7 on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
F♭maj7 chord notes
Also known as Emaj7
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | F♭(Fb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | A♭(Ab) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | C♭(Cb) | |
| 7 | Major seventh | 11 | E♭(Eb) |
How to use the F♭maj7 chord
The F♭maj7 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth and a major seventh. Start at the root F♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: F♭, A♭, C♭ and E♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Major seventh chords colour jazz standards, bossa nova, soul and modern pop. They most often serve as Imaj7 or IVmaj7 in a major key to add warmth without changing the function.
In major keys F♭maj7 is the IVmaj7 in C♭ major; in minor keys it's the VImaj7 in A♭ minor.
How F♭maj7 differs from similar chords
F♭maj7 is not F♭7: its seventh sits a half step below the root rather than a whole step, so it floats instead of pulling. Next to F♭6, which adds the sixth instead, F♭maj7 sounds lusher and more modern. The major seventh is the only note that separates it from a plain F♭ triad.
Where F♭maj7 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.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the F♭maj7 chord?
- The F♭maj7 chord contains F♭, A♭, C♭ and E♭ (Fb, Ab, Cb and Eb in plain text).
- Is the F♭maj7 chord major or minor?
- F♭maj7 is a major seventh chord. Major seventh chords are lush, open and slightly jazzy. Stacking a major third on top of a major triad gives them a dreamy colour often heard in bossa nova, soul and modern R&B.
- What key is the F♭maj7 chord in?
- In major keys F♭maj7 is the IVmaj7 in C♭ major; in minor keys it's the VImaj7 in A♭ minor.
- How do you play F♭maj7 on piano?
- Place your fingers on F♭, A♭, C♭ and E♭ 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 A♭ and E♭ are black keys and F♭ and C♭ are white, the keys you'd normally call E and B.
- How do you play F♭maj7 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. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the F♭maj7 chord?
- F♭maj7 is enharmonically equivalent to Emaj7. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.