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Major key

E flat major

Its seven chords: E♭, Fm, Gm, A♭, B♭, Cm, Ddim.

Key signature3♭B♭ E♭ A♭
Relative keyC minorSame notesParallel keyE flat minorSame home note
Scale of E flat major
  • E♭1
  • F2
  • G3
  • A♭4
  • B♭5
  • C6
  • D7
Scale of E flat majorE♭, F, G, A♭, B♭, C, D, E♭FGCDE♭A♭B♭E♭

Chords in E flat major

  1. IE♭HomeE♭Strings from lowest to highest: muted, muted, fret 1 finger 1, fret 3 finger 2, fret 4 finger 4, fret 3 finger 3.E♭Strings from lowest to highest: fret 3 finger 2, fret 3 finger 3, fret 3 finger 4, fret 1 finger 1.E♭63, 67, 70
  2. iiFmAwayFmStrings from lowest to highest: fret 1 finger 1, fret 3 finger 3, fret 3 finger 4, fret 1 finger 1, fret 1 finger 1, fret 1 finger 1. Barre at fret 1.FmStrings from lowest to highest: fret 5 finger 3, fret 5 finger 4, fret 4 finger 2, fret 3 finger 1.Fm65, 68, 72
  3. iiiGmHomeGmStrings from lowest to highest: fret 3 finger 1, fret 5 finger 3, fret 5 finger 4, fret 3 finger 1, fret 3 finger 1, fret 3 finger 1. Barre at fret 3.GmStrings from lowest to highest: open, fret 2 finger 2, fret 3 finger 3, fret 1 finger 1.Gm67, 70, 74
  4. IVA♭AwayA♭Strings from lowest to highest: fret 4 finger 3, fret 3 finger 2, fret 1 finger 1, fret 1 finger 1, fret 1 finger 1, fret 4 finger 4. Barre at fret 1.A♭Strings from lowest to highest: fret 1 finger 1, fret 3 finger 2, fret 4 finger 4, fret 3 finger 3.A♭68, 72, 75
  5. VB♭TensionB♭Strings from lowest to highest: muted, fret 1 finger 1, fret 3 finger 2, fret 3 finger 3, fret 3 finger 4, fret 1 finger 1. Barre at fret 1.B♭Strings from lowest to highest: fret 3 finger 3, fret 2 finger 2, fret 1 finger 1, fret 1 finger 1. Barre at fret 1.B♭70, 74, 77
  6. viCmHomeCmStrings from lowest to highest: muted, fret 3 finger 1, fret 5 finger 3, fret 5 finger 4, fret 4 finger 2, fret 3 finger 1. Barre at fret 3.CmStrings from lowest to highest: open, fret 3 finger 1, fret 3 finger 1, fret 3 finger 1. Barre at fret 3.Cm60, 63, 67
  7. vii°DdimTensionDdimStrings from lowest to highest: muted, muted, open, fret 1 finger 1, fret 3 finger 3, fret 1 finger 2.DdimStrings from lowest to highest: fret 1 finger 1, fret 2 finger 3, fret 1 finger 2, muted.Ddim62, 65, 68
DegreeTriadSeventh chordNotes of the seventh chord
1 E♭I E♭Imaj7 E♭maj7E♭ G B♭ D
2 Fii Fmii7 Fm7F A♭ C E♭
3 Giii Gmiii7 Gm7G B♭ D F
4 A♭IV A♭IVmaj7 A♭maj7A♭ C E♭ G
5 B♭V B♭V7 B♭7B♭ D F A♭
6 Cvi Cmvi7 Cm7C E♭ G B♭
7 Dvii° Ddimviiø7 Dm7♭5D F A♭ C

Progressions in E flat major

Sound

About E flat major

Play E♭ – F – G – A♭ – B♭ – C – D and back to the first note again, and you have the scale of E flat major. With 3♭ in the signature (B♭, E♭, A♭), it is easy to read once you know the signature. Every chord in the table above is made only from these notes.

In E flat major the chords E♭, A♭ and B♭ carry the weight: they are major, they are built on the strongest degrees of the scale, and moving between them sounds like a sentence with a beginning, a middle and an end. The minor chords ii, iii and vi share two notes each with those, which makes them easy substitutes.

Starting the same scale from C gives C minor, the relative key. Borrowing a chord from E flat minor, the parallel key, is a classic way to add colour: a minor chord in a major key, or a major chord in a minor one, for a moment.

The dominant seventh chord, B♭7, is the strongest way to lead back to E♭: it contains the leading note D, a half step below the home note, and resolving it feels like coming home. Nearby keys on the circle are B flat major and A flat major.

If the barre chords of E flat major are hard for you, use a capo on fret 3: the shapes C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am then sound in the right key.

Practise the key in three steps: the scale up and down, the seven chords in order, then one of the progressions above until the changes feel automatic. Ten minutes is enough.

Nearby keys