E♭6 chord
E♭6 is E♭, G, B♭ and C: 1–3–5–6 built on E♭. Below: guitar, piano and ukulele, each playable.
On guitar
x-x-1-3-1-3 · movable · medium
- Notes
- E♭ · G · B♭ · C
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 6
- First shape
- x-x-1-3-1-3
E♭6 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · E♭–G–B♭–C · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- E♭ · G · B♭ · C
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 6
E♭6 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
3-3-3-3 · movable · medium
- Notes
- E♭ · G · B♭ · C
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 6
- First shape
- 3-3-3-3
Changing out of E♭6
Three changes cover most of what E♭6 does in songs.
- E♭6 → A♭ (IV in E♭ major)
Guitar: E♭6 (x-x-1-3-1-3) to A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 4th fret, move the middle finger to the G string, 5th fret, the ring finger goes to the A string, 6th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. E♭ and C carry over from one chord to the other.
Piano: E♭6 to A♭: play A♭ in 2nd inversion (E♭–A♭–C) and E♭ and C stay under the same fingers, while G moves up to A♭. A♭ - E♭6 → B♭ (V in E♭ major)
Guitar: E♭6 (x-x-1-3-1-3) to B♭ (x-1-3-3-3-1): your ring finger stays put, the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, move the middle finger to the D string, 3rd fret, the pinky finger slides across to the B string at the same fret. The two chords share B♭, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: E♭6 to B♭: play B♭ in 1st inversion (D–F–B♭) and B♭ stays under the same finger, while E♭ moves down to D and E♭ up to F. B♭ - E♭6 → Cm (vi in E♭ major)
Guitar: E♭6 (x-x-1-3-1-3) to Cm (x-3-1-0-1-3): your index, middle and pinky fingers stay put, your ring finger lands on the A string, 3rd fret. An easy one to get up to speed. Listen for E♭, G and C, which stay put while the rest moves.
Piano: E♭6 to Cm: play Cm in 1st inversion (E♭–G–C) and E♭, G and C stay under the same fingers. Cm
Guitar with a capo: capo 1, D6 shape; capo 3, C6 shape; capo 6, A6 shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 1, D6 shape; capo 3, C6 shape.
How E♭6 is built
E♭6 is E♭ major with a major sixth added. It sounds sweet and a little vintage, the classic last chord of a swing tune, and it shares all its notes with Cm7.
Count keys (black and white) from E♭: 4 half steps up to G, 3 half steps up to B♭ then 2 half steps up to C. D♯6 is the other spelling of the same chord.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| E♭ | root | 0 | |
| G | major third | 4 | |
| B♭ | perfect fifth | 7 | |
| C | major sixth | 9 |
Keys and progressions with E♭6
E♭6 isn't a chord of any major or natural minor key, so it usually appears as a passing or borrowed chord.
Chords close to E♭6
- E♭6 is E♭ plus C. E♭
Chords that share most of their notes with E♭6: Cm7, Cm, E♭, C7, Cm6, Cm7♭5.
Every E♭ chord
E♭6 chord: questions
What notes are in the E♭6 chord?
E♭, G, B♭ and C. E♭6 is built 1–3–5–6 from E♭: G is the major third, B♭ is the perfect fifth and C is the major sixth.
How do you play E♭6 on guitar?
The usual shape is x-x-1-3-1-3 (movable). All 4 guitar shapes.
How do you play E♭6 on piano?
Play E♭, G, B♭ and C with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-5. E♭ sits on the black key between D and E. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play E♭6 on ukulele?
3-3-3-3 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is E♭6 in?
E♭6 isn't a chord of any major or natural minor key, so it usually appears as a passing or borrowed chord.
What's the difference between E♭6 and E♭?
E♭6 is E♭ plus C.
Diagrams and sound come from the same data, tested so they match. Updated September 2026.