Major 7th chord · Eb root
Ebmaj7 chord
- Eb1
- G3
- Bb5
- D7
The Eb major 7th chord (also called the D#maj7 chord — same notes, different spelling) is built from the notes Eb, G, Bb, D. It turns up 10 times in the 104 songs on this site, including Autumn Leaves and Blue Bossa.
By Chiye · Updated
What is the Ebmaj7 chord?
The Ebmaj7 chord (Eb major 7th) is a major 7th chord built from four notes: Eb, G, Bb, D — the 1–3–5–7 of the Eb scale, 4 semitones and 7 semitones and 11 semitones above the root. On guitar it is most often played as a movable shape from fret 6 (x-6-8-7-8-6); shift all fretted notes together to transpose it along the neck. It is rated intermediate. A soft, jazzy chord heard all over neo-soul and bossa. Across the 104 song sheets in this site's library, Ebmaj7 appears 10 times in 3 songs, most often in the keys of Cm and Gm, and the chord it most often moves to is D#maj7. Below you will find step-by-step fingering, 3 positions up the neck, audio of every shape, and the real progressions this chord lives inside.
How do you play the Ebmaj7 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.
- Press the D string at fret 8 with your ring finger.
- Press the G string at fret 7 with your middle finger.
- Press the B string at fret 8 with your pinky finger.
- Start your strum on the A string and do not play the low E string at all.
Leave out the lowest fretted note (A string) and practise the remaining strings. The bass changes, and the upper strings may still need a smaller barre; check that the third and other colour tones stay clear. x-x-8-7-8-6
How do you make Ebmaj7 sound clean?
Ebmaj7 at the 6th fret gets squeezed instead of using the lightest possible barre.
Loop Fm7, Bb7 and Ebmaj7, the ii–V–I of Eb. Learn the two fret-1 grips first, then move to the fret-6 Ebmaj7.
In real songs
What songs use the Ebmaj7 chord?
- chord changes
- 10
- songs
- 3
- common keys
- Cm · Gm
Across the 104 chord sheets on this site, Ebmaj7 appears 10 times in 3 songs — most often in the keys of Cm and Gm.
Cm7F7A#maj7D#maj7
Cm7F7A#maj7D#maj7
Cm7F7A#maj7D#maj7
Chord flow
What chord comes after Ebmaj7?
Every number here is a count from the progressions in our song sheets, not a generalisation: 1879 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 Ebmaj7 up the neck?
2 more positions below. These are the same notes in a different part of the neck. Choosing the position closest to the chord you just played is what stops your hand jumping between changes.
Position 2 · Fret 1 barre
No open strings, so this is a movable shape: slide it up or down and the same fingering gives you a different chord name.
One bar does most of the work. Roll that finger onto its bony edge and pull the elbow slightly in — a barre that buzzes is almost always a position problem, not a strength problem.
Position 3 · Fret 11 barre
No open strings, so this is a movable shape: slide it up or down and the same fingering gives you a different chord name.
It uses 2 separate barres. Fret each one across its marked strings, then add the other fingers without damping the ringing notes.
The theory behind Ebmaj7
Ebmaj7 is spelled Eb – G – Bb – D — the 1 – 3 – 5 – 7 of the Eb scale, which is the root plus 4 semitones, 7 semitones, 11 semitones. A soft, jazzy chord heard all over neo-soul and bossa.
The major seventh sits a semitone under the octave, which is why it sounds soft rather than tense. On guitar it is usually the highest fretted note, so it is also the first note to disappear if your finger rolls off.
Ebmaj7 on other instruments
Eb – G – Bb – D — 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
