E♭ major chord (E♭)
E♭ is E♭, G and B♭: 1–3–5 built on E♭. Below: guitar, piano and ukulele, each playable.
On guitar
x-x-1-3-4-3 · movable · medium
- Notes
- E♭ · G · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
- First shape
- x-x-1-3-4-3
E♭ on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · E♭–G–B♭ · right hand 1-3-5
- Notes
- E♭ · G · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
E♭ on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
0-3-3-1 · open · easy
- Notes
- E♭ · G · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
- First shape
- 0-3-3-1
Changing out of E♭
The moves below are the ones you'll meet most, shown for guitar and piano.
- E♭ → A♭ (IV in E♭ major)
Guitar: E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3) to A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 4th fret, the middle finger goes to the G string, 5th fret, move the ring finger to the A string, 6th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. The two chords share E♭, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: E♭ to A♭: play A♭ in 2nd inversion (E♭–A♭–C) and E♭ stays under the same finger, while G moves up to A♭ and B♭ up to C. A♭ - E♭ → B♭ (V in E♭ major)
Guitar: E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3) to B♭ (x-1-3-3-3-1): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, the middle finger slides across to the D string at the same fret, the ring finger goes to the G string, 3rd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. B♭ carries over from one chord to the other.
Piano: E♭ to B♭: play B♭ in 1st inversion (D–F–B♭) and B♭ stays under the same finger, while E♭ moves down to D and G down to F. B♭ - E♭ → Cm (vi in E♭ major)
Guitar: E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3) to Cm (x-3-1-0-1-3): your index finger stays put, the middle finger goes to the B string, 1st fret, move the ring finger to the A string, 3rd fret, move the pinky finger to the high E string, 3rd fret. The two chords share E♭ and G, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: E♭ to Cm: play Cm in 1st inversion (E♭–G–C) and E♭ and G stay under the same fingers, while B♭ moves up to C. Cm
Guitar with a capo: capo 1, D shape; capo 3, C shape; capo 6, A shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 1, D shape; capo 3, C shape; capo 5, B♭ shape; capo 6, A shape.
How E♭ is built
E♭ is a major triad: bright, settled and stable. In the key of E♭ major it is the home chord, the one a song lands on at the end.
From E♭, go 4 half steps up to G then 3 half steps up to B♭. D♯ is the other spelling of the same chord.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| E♭ | root | 0 | |
| G | major third | 4 | |
| B♭ | perfect fifth | 7 |
Keys and progressions with E♭
In major keys, E♭ is I in E♭ major, IV in B♭ major and V in A♭ major. In minor keys it is III in C minor, V in G♯ minor (borrowing the raised 7th), VI in G minor and VII in F minor.
In E♭ major, I–V–vi–IV is E♭ – B♭ – Cm – A♭. the pop progression
I–IV–V in E♭ major runs E♭ – A♭ – B♭ – E♭. the three-chord progression
Play I–vi–IV–V in E♭ major and you get E♭ – Cm – A♭ – B♭. the 50s progression
Cm – A♭ – E♭ – B♭: that's vi–IV–I–V in the key of E♭ major. the minor-feel pop loop
Chords close to E♭
- E♭ and E♭m differ by one note: G in E♭, G♭ in E♭m. They share E♭ and B♭. E♭m
- E♭ and Cm differ by one note: B♭ in E♭, C in Cm. They share E♭ and G. Cm
Chords that share most of their notes with E♭: Cm7, E♭7, E♭maj7, E♭add9, E♭6, E♭9.
Every E♭ chord
E♭ major chord: questions
What notes are in the E♭ major chord?
E♭, G and B♭. E♭ is built 1–3–5 from E♭: G is the major third and B♭ is the perfect fifth.
How do you play E♭ on guitar?
The usual shape is x-x-1-3-4-3 (movable). All 3 guitar shapes.
How do you play E♭ on piano?
Play E♭, G and B♭ with right-hand fingers 1-3-5. E♭ sits on the black key between D and E. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play E♭ on ukulele?
0-3-3-1 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is E♭ in?
In major keys, E♭ is I in E♭ major, IV in B♭ major and V in A♭ major. In minor keys it is III in C minor, V in G♯ minor (borrowing the raised 7th), VI in G minor and VII in F minor.
What's the difference between E♭ and E♭m?
E♭ and E♭m differ by one note: G in E♭, G♭ in E♭m. They share E♭ and B♭.
Diagrams and sound come from the same data, tested so they match. Updated September 2026.