The Key of E♭ Minor for Guitar
The key of E♭ minor has the notes E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭, 6 flats (B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭), and its relative major is G♭ major.
- Chords
- E♭m Fdim G♭ A♭m B♭m C♭ D♭
- Main three
- E♭m A♭m B♭m
- Key signature of E♭ minor
- 6 flats (B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭)
Chords in the key
Chords in E♭ minor · moved from E♭ minor · · tap to hear1 home chord of the key
35 on the 3rd and 5th
2 other degrees
Now sounding
Key · Capo
Showing: E♭ minor (page key)No capo: you play E♭ minor shapes as written.
Fretboard · E♭ minor scale
Tap a dot to hear it; it lights amber while it sounds. Brightest dot = 1, the root (E♭). Lighter grey = 3 and 5. High e on top, frets 0 to 12, no capo. Swipe the board sideways for frets 7 to 12.
Progression · i–VI–III–VII
Stopped. Four beats per chord, strum D D U D.
Chords in E♭ minor, with notes
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i | E♭m | E♭ G♭ B♭ |
| ii° | Fdim | F A♭ C♭ |
| III | G♭ | G♭ B♭ D♭ |
| iv | A♭m | A♭ C♭ E♭ |
| v | B♭m | B♭ D♭ F |
| VI | C♭ | C♭ E♭ G♭ |
| VII | D♭ | D♭ F A♭ |
Seventh chords in E♭ minor
Add the next scale note a third above each triad and you get the four-note seventh chords of the key.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i7 | E♭m7 | E♭ G♭ B♭ D♭ |
| iiø7 | Fm7♭5 | F A♭ C♭ E♭ |
| IIImaj7 | G♭maj7 | G♭ B♭ D♭ F |
| iv7 | A♭m7 | A♭ C♭ E♭ G♭ |
| v7 | B♭m7 | B♭ D♭ F A♭ |
| VImaj7 | C♭maj7 | C♭ E♭ G♭ B♭ |
| VII7 | D♭7 | D♭ F A♭ C♭ |
Shapes and voicings for every chord: chord directory.
Why E♭ minor has 6 flats (B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭)
Every minor scale uses the same step pattern: whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole. Start that pattern on E♭ and the notes land on E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭, so the key needs B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭ and C♭. On one string a whole step is two frets and a half step is one fret, up to the octave at fret 12.
E♭ minor scale in first position
Every note of E♭ minor in frets 0 to 4. Play one finger per fret: fret 1 = finger 1, fret 2 = finger 2, fret 3 = finger 3, fret 4 = finger 4, open strings need no finger.
Tap a dot to hear it. High e on top; the brightest dot is the root.
Past fret 4: E♭ minor scale in every position up the neck, with play-along and a root drone. Pentatonic, blues and the modes work over these chords too: see all guitar scales.
Playing in E♭ minor on guitar
E♭ minor has six flats, the most of any key in common use, and shares its notes with G♭ major. Only one of the six open strings is in the scale: B, which this key spells C♭. The two E strings and the open A, D and G strings all sit a half step above a scale note (E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭), so open strings clash almost everywhere.
Every chord is a barre or a movable shape. E♭m can be played on the top four strings (x x 1 3 4 2) or as the A-shape minor barre at fret 6. C♭ is written that way on paper but played on guitar as a B chord; Fdim is rare in songs.
Guitarists meet this key mostly in two ways: a capo, or tuning down. With every string a half step low (E♭ standard tuning), open E minor shapes sound in E♭ minor. The same sounds can also be written as D♯ minor, with six sharps instead of six flats.
Common progressions in E♭ minor
| Degrees | Chords | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| i–VI–III–VII | E♭m C♭ G♭ D♭ | E♭m C♭ G♭ D♭: four barre chords; with capo 1 they are Dm B♭ F C. |
| i–iv–v–i | E♭m A♭m B♭m E♭m | E♭m A♭m B♭m E♭m: the minor three-chord base. A B♭7 (x 1 3 1 3 1) in place of B♭m pulls home harder. |
| i–VII–VI–VII | E♭m D♭ C♭ D♭ | E♭m D♭ C♭ D♭: with capo 6 the same loop is Am G F G. |
| i–iv–VII–III | E♭m A♭m D♭ G♭ | E♭m A♭m D♭ G♭: the fifths chain ends on G♭, the relative major. |
Pick one in the player above and press Play to strum along, four beats per chord.
Capo and E♭ minor
Capo 1 with Dm shapes sounds in E♭ minor: Dm, Gm, Am, B♭, F and C carry the whole key. Capo 6 with Am shapes also works and is fully open, with a high, light sound.
| Capo | E♭m shapes sound in |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | E minor |
| Fret 2 | F minor |
| Fret 3 | F♯ minor |
| Fret 4 | G minor |
| Fret 5 | G♯ minor |
| Fret 6 | A minor |
| Fret 7 | B♭ minor |
Song in another key? Capo for E♭ minor songs: the capo fret and easier shapes, or any other key.
New to the capo? How to use a capo: where to clamp it and why the same shapes sound in a new key.
Relative major: G♭ major
G♭ major uses the same seven notes, starting on G♭, the 3rd note of the scale. Its chord is the III in the row above. Songs often move between the two keys without changing a single chord shape.
Have a recording and no idea what key it is in? Find the key of a song from the audio file or by letting it listen; it also gives the chords to play and the easiest capo.
Related keys
- The key of G♭ majorrelative
- The key of E♭ majorparallel
- The key of G♯ minorcircle, one step left
- The key of B♭ minorcircle, one step right
See how every key connects: interactive circle of fifths.
FAQ about E♭ minor
What chords are in the key of E♭ minor?
E♭m, Fdim, G♭, A♭m, B♭m, C♭ and D♭. On guitar, C♭ is played with the B major shape.
Is E♭ minor the same as D♯ minor?
Yes, in sound. E♭ minor is written with six flats, D♯ minor with six sharps; the chords are the same frets on the guitar.
How do I play E♭ minor on guitar easily?
Put a capo on fret 1 and play D minor shapes, or tune every string down a half step and play open E minor shapes.
What is the relative major of E♭ minor?
G♭ major (F♯ major in sharps). Both have six flats, and G♭ is the III chord of E♭ minor.
Next steps in E♭ minor
- Progressions in E♭ minorgenerate, hear and loop chord progressions in this key
- E♭ minor pentatonicthe five-note soloing scale
- E♭ harmonic minorraised 7th: where the major V chord comes from
- Guitar tunertune up before you play along