The 7 chords
E♭ · Fm · Gm · A♭ · B♭ · Cm · Ddim
Every major key follows the same pattern: major, minor, minor, major, major, minor, diminished.
Chord chart
E♭ Major chord chart
| Degree | Numeral | Chord | Notes | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | E♭ | E♭ – G – B♭ | E♭maj7 | Tonic |
| 2 | ii | Fm | F – A♭ – C | Fm7 | Supertonic |
| 3 | iii | Gm | G – B♭ – D | Gm7 | Mediant |
| 4 | IV | A♭ | A♭ – C – E♭ | A♭maj7 | Subdominant |
| 5 | V | B♭ | B♭ – D – F | B♭7 | Dominant |
| 6 | vi | Cm | C – E♭ – G | Cm7 | Submediant |
| 7 | vii° | Ddim | D – F – A♭ | Dm7b5 | Leading tone |
E♭ major scale: E♭ – F – G – A♭ – B♭ – C – D. Key signature: 3 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭).
Progressions
Common chord progressions in E♭ Major
The pop progression
I – V – vi – IV
- IE♭
- VB♭
- viCm
- IVA♭
The four-chord loop behind a huge share of modern pop, rock and worship songs.
Three-chord progression
I – IV – V – I
- IE♭
- IVA♭
- VB♭
- IE♭
The three primary chords, I, IV and V — the backbone of blues, folk, country and early rock and roll.
Minor-start loop
vi – IV – I – V
- viCm
- IVA♭
- IE♭
- VB♭
The pop progression started on the vi. Same four chords, but opening on the minor chord makes the loop sound darker.
50s progression
I – vi – IV – V
- IE♭
- viCm
- IVA♭
- VB♭
The doo-wop progression of 1950s ballads, and still one of the most common loops in songwriting.
ii – V – I
ii7 – V7 – Imaj7
- ii7Fm7
- V7B♭7
- Imaj7E♭maj7
The jazz cadence, played with 7th chords as it almost always is. The single most common move in jazz standards.
Canon progression
I – V – vi – iii – IV – I – IV – V
- IE♭
- VB♭
- viCm
- iiiGm
- IVA♭
- IE♭
- IVA♭
- VB♭
The eight-chord sequence of Pachelbel's Canon, borrowed by countless pop songs since.
Want more? Generate a progression in E♭ Major by style, or build your own in the Chord Progression Player.
7th chords
7th chords in the key of E♭ Major
Add the next note of the scale on top of each chord and you get its diatonic 7th chord — the sound of jazz, soul and R&B in E♭ major.
On guitar
Playing in E♭ Major on guitar
None of the 7 chords in E♭ major is an open chord in standard tuning — every one needs a barre or a moveable shape. A capo lets you swap those for open shapes:
Capo 3 + C major shapes
Finger C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim — they sound as E♭, Fm, Gm, A♭, B♭, Cm, Ddim. 5 of the 7 shapes are open chords.
See the C major chordsCapo 1 + D major shapes
Finger D, Em, F#m, G, A, Bm, C#dim — they sound as E♭, Fm, Gm, A♭, B♭, Cm, Ddim. 4 of the 7 shapes are open chords.
See the D major chords
Scales for soloing in E♭ Major
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
The key of E♭ major has seven chords: E♭, Fm, Gm, A♭, B♭, Cm and Ddim. Each is built from the notes of the E♭ major scale (E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C D), so all seven share one key signature: 3 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭).
E♭, A♭ and B♭ — the I, IV and V chords. Those three contain every note of the E♭ major scale between them, which is why so many songs in E♭ major use little else.
C minor. It uses the same seven chords and the same key signature as E♭ major; the difference is which chord feels like home. A song that keeps returning to Cm is in C minor; one that settles on E♭ is in E♭ major.
3 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭). E♭ major shares its key signature with its relative minor, C minor.
B♭, the V chord. Its 7th chord, B♭7, is the only dominant 7th in the key, and B♭7 → E♭ is the strongest way to end a song in E♭ major.
E♭maj7, Fm7, Gm7, A♭maj7, B♭7, Cm7 and Dm7b5. Each adds the next note of the scale on top of the triad, which gives two major 7ths, three minor 7ths, one dominant 7th and one half-diminished (m7♭5).
Stacking the scale notes on D gives D, F, A♭: a minor 3rd and then another minor 3rd, so the 5th is flattened. It is the least-used chord in the key — songs often skip it, or use B♭7 where it would go.
Use a capo. None of the 7 chords in E♭ major are open chords, but with a capo on fret 3 you can play C major shapes (C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am and Bdim) and they sound in E♭ major. 5 of those shapes are open chords.
Related Tools
Circle of FifthsSee every key, its relative minor and its neighbours on one wheelKey FinderPaste a progression and detect its key with Roman numeral analysisChord Progression GeneratorPick a key and style to generate a diatonic progressionCapo CalculatorFind the capo position to play any key with open shapes