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Piano chord

E♭6E flat sixth

  • E♭1
  • G3
  • B♭5
  • C6
Notes
4
Positions
4
Span
9semitones
Fingers
1-3-4-5

How to play E♭6 on piano

  1. Find E♭: it is the root and the lowest note of the chord in root position.
  2. Right hand: 1 on E♭, 3 on G, 4 on B♭, 5 on C.
  3. Or with the left hand: 5 on E♭, 3 on G, 2 on B♭, 1 on C.
  4. Press the keys together, with curved fingers and a loose wrist, and let them ring.
  1. E♭6 on piano, Root position: E♭ G B♭ CE♭, G, B♭, CGCE♭B♭3514
    E♭6 on piano, Root position: E♭ G B♭ CE♭, G, B♭, CGCE♭B♭3152

    Root position · E♭ – G – B♭ – C

  2. E♭6 on piano, 1st inversion: G B♭ C E♭G, B♭, C, E♭GCB♭E♭1325
    E♭6 on piano, 1st inversion: G B♭ C E♭G, B♭, C, E♭GCB♭E♭5231

    1st inversion · G – B♭ – C – E♭

  3. E♭6 on piano, 2nd inversion: B♭ C E♭ GB♭, C, E♭, GCGB♭E♭2513
    E♭6 on piano, 2nd inversion: B♭ C E♭ GB♭, C, E♭, GCGB♭E♭4153

    2nd inversion · B♭ – C – E♭ – G

  4. E♭6 on piano, 3rd inversion: C E♭ G B♭C, E♭, G, B♭CGE♭B♭1425
    E♭6 on piano, 3rd inversion: C E♭ G B♭C, E♭, G, B♭CGE♭B♭5241

    3rd inversion · C – E♭ – G – B♭

Numbers on the keys are fingers: 1 thumb, 2 index, 3 middle, 4 ring, 5 little finger.

E♭6 inversions

Use these 4 positions to move between chords with as little hand movement as possible. Root position starts on E♭; the inversions start on the other notes of the chord.

E♭6 with two hands

A full sound: the left hand plays E♭ an octave lower, the right hand plays E♭–G–B♭–C.

E♭6 with two handsE♭, E♭, G, B♭, CGCE♭E♭B♭35514

E♭6 on other instruments

About the E♭6 chord

To build E flat sixth, take these 4 notes from the root up: E♭ (1), G (3), B♭ (5), C (6). A major sixth: a major triad plus the sixth. Sweet and a little retro, used to end songs in swing and old pop.

The keys are E♭ – G – B♭ – C, counted up from E♭; the distance from the lowest to the highest key is 9 semitones. Any hand that reaches an octave can hold E♭6, so it works in either hand.

In the inversions of E♭6 the root moves up and another note takes the bass. In the 1st inversion the bass is G (G–B♭–C–E♭). In the 2nd inversion the bass is B♭ (B♭–C–E♭–G). In the 3rd inversion the bass is C (C–E♭–G–B♭).

Compared with E♭, E♭6 has one more note, C.

Questions

What notes are in the E♭6 chord?

E♭6 (E flat sixth) has 4 notes: E♭ (1), G (3), B♭ (5), C (6).

How many inversions does E♭6 have?

E♭6 can be played in 4 positions: Root position (E♭–G–B♭–C); 1st inversion (G–B♭–C–E♭); 2nd inversion (B♭–C–E♭–G); 3rd inversion (C–E♭–G–B♭).

What is the difference between E♭6 and E♭?

Compared with E♭, E♭6 has one more note, C.

Can I play E♭6 with one hand?

Yes. In root position E♭6 spans 9 semitones, less than an octave, so one hand holds it easily.

More E♭ chords