Major chord · Eb root
Eb chord
- Eb1
- G3
- Bb5
The Eb major chord (also written D#, same notes, different spelling) is built from the notes Eb, G, Bb. It turns up 1 times in the 80 songs on this site, including Hey Jude.
By Chiye · Updated
What is the Eb chord?
The Eb chord (Eb major) is a major chord built from three notes: Eb, G, Bb — the 1–3–5 of the Eb scale, 4 semitones and 7 semitones above the root. On guitar it is most often played as a movable shape from fret 6 (x-6-8-8-8-6), so the same fingering works at any fret. It is rated intermediate. The bright, home-base sound that most songs resolve to. It is one of the most-used chords in this site's library: across the 80 song sheets charted here, Eb appears 1 times in 1 song, most often in the key of F, and the chord it most often moves to is A#. Below you will find step-by-step fingering, 4 positions up the neck, audio of every shape, and the real progressions this chord lives inside.
How do you play the Eb chord on guitar?
Fret 6 barre — a movable shape, so this same fingering works for every root note.
- Lay your index finger flat across the A to high E strings at fret 6, rolled slightly onto its bony edge.
- Lay your ring finger flat across the D to B strings at fret 8, rolled slightly onto its bony edge.
- Start your strum on the A string and do not play the low E string at all.
Drop the lowest fretted note (A string) and play the rest as a four- or five-string shape. You lose the bass note but keep every note that gives the chord its name, and there is no barre left to fight. x-x-8-8-8-6
How do you make Eb sound clean?
Eb lands at the 6th fret, where the frets tighten and players press harder instead of adjusting.
Eb → Ab → Bb with a metronome at 60. Use the same shape for all three and only move your hand.
In real songs
What songs use the Eb chord?
- chord changes
- 1
- songs
- 1
- common keys
- F
Across the 80 chord sheets on this site, Eb appears 1 time in 1 song — most often in the key of F.
FD#A#F
Chord flow
What chord comes after Eb?
Every number here is a count from the progressions in our song sheets, not a generalisation: 1560 chord changes are behind these figures.
Three-chord moves
Three-chord moves are where a chord really shows its character. These are the ones that actually happen in this library, counted from the sheets:
What other ways can you play Eb up the neck?
3 more positions below. Learn one of these well and the rest become optional. The value of a second position is practical: it keeps your fretting hand near where the song is already heading.
Position 2 · Fret 1
Every note here is fretted, which means the shape transposes anywhere on the neck without changing your fingers.
Position 3 · Fret 8 barre
Every note here is fretted, which means the shape transposes anywhere on the neck without changing your fingers.
The barre is the only hard part of this shape. Keep the bar finger straight and use the weight of your arm rather than the grip of your thumb.
Position 4 · Fret 11 barre
Every note here is fretted, which means the shape transposes anywhere on the neck without changing your fingers.
The barre is the only hard part of this shape. Keep the bar finger straight and use the weight of your arm rather than the grip of your thumb.
The theory behind Eb
Eb is spelled Eb – G – Bb — the 1 – 3 – 5 of the Eb scale, which is the root plus 4 semitones, 7 semitones. The bright, home-base sound that most songs resolve to.
The third is the note that makes it major, so it decides the character: keep it on top and Eb sounds bright, drop it below the fifth and the same notes sound rounder. On guitar that is a matter of which string you put it on, which is exactly what the different positions on this page do.
What key is the Eb chord in?
Eb is the I chord in the key of Eb major, the IV chord in Bb major and the V chord in Ab major — the three major keys where Eb appears naturally.
the home chord — songs resolve here
the subdominant — the chord that leaves home
the dominant — the chord that pulls back home
Eb on other instruments
Eb – G – Bb — the highlighted black keys are the sharps or flats; play each note once, then move them into one hand position.
Take it to the practice room
