E♭7 chord
E♭7 is E♭, G, B♭ and D♭: 1–3–5–♭7 built on E♭. Below: guitar, piano and ukulele, each playable.
On guitar
x-x-1-3-2-3 · movable · medium
- Notes
- E♭ · G · B♭ · D♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7
- First shape
- x-x-1-3-2-3
E♭7 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · E♭–G–B♭–D♭ · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- E♭ · G · B♭ · D♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7
E♭7 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
3-3-3-4 · movable · medium
- Notes
- E♭ · G · B♭ · D♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7
- First shape
- 3-3-3-4
Changing out of E♭7
The moves below are the ones you'll meet most, shown for guitar and piano.
- E♭7 → A♭ (the V7 pulls home a fifth below)
Guitar: E♭7 (x-x-1-3-2-3) 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, your ring finger lands on the A string, 6th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. The two chords share E♭, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: E♭7 to A♭: play A♭ in 2nd inversion (E♭–A♭–C) and E♭ stays under the same finger, while G moves up to A♭ and D♭ down to C. A♭ - E♭7 → A♭maj7 (I in A♭ major)
Guitar: E♭7 (x-x-1-3-2-3) to A♭maj7 (4-6-5-5-4-4): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 4th fret, your middle finger lands on the D string, 5th fret, the ring finger goes to the G string, 5th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. The two chords share E♭ and G, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: E♭7 to A♭maj7: play A♭maj7 in 2nd inversion (E♭–G–A♭–C) and E♭ and G stay under the same fingers, while B♭ moves down to A♭ and D♭ down to C. A♭maj7 - E♭7 → Fm7 (vi in A♭ major)
Guitar: E♭7 (x-x-1-3-2-3) to Fm7 (1-3-1-1-1-1): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 1st fret, move the middle finger to the A string, 3rd fret. The two chords share E♭, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: E♭7 to Fm7: play Fm7 in 3rd inversion (E♭–F–A♭–C) and E♭ stays under the same finger, while G moves down to F, B♭ down to A♭ and D♭ down to C. Fm7
Guitar with a capo: capo 1, D7 shape; capo 3, C7 shape; capo 4, B7 shape; capo 6, A7 shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 1, D7 shape; capo 3, C7 shape; capo 4, B7 shape; capo 6, A7 shape.
How E♭7 is built
E♭7 is a dominant seventh chord: a major triad with a flattened seventh on top. It sounds restless and wants to move, most strongly to A♭, the chord a fifth below. It is also the backbone of the blues, where every chord can be a seventh.
Count keys (black and white) from E♭: 4 half steps up to G, 3 half steps up to B♭ then 3 half steps up to D♭. D♯7 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 | |
| D♭ | minor seventh | 10 |
Keys and progressions with E♭7
E♭7 belongs to 3 keys: V7 in A♭ major, V7 in G♯ minor (borrowing the raised 7th) and VII7 in F minor.
In E♭ major, I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) is E♭7 – E♭7 – E♭7 – E♭7 – A♭7 – A♭7 – E♭7 – E♭7 – B♭7 – A♭7 – E♭7 – B♭7. the 12-bar blues
ii–V–I in A♭ major runs B♭m7 – E♭7 – A♭maj7. the jazz cadence
Chords close to E♭7
- E♭7 is E♭ plus D♭. E♭
- E♭7 and E♭maj7 differ by one note: D♭ in E♭7, D in E♭maj7. They share E♭, G and B♭. E♭maj7
Chords that share most of their notes with E♭7: E♭9, E♭, Gdim, Cm7, C♯dim7, E♭maj7.
Every E♭ chord
E♭7 chord: questions
What notes are in the E♭7 chord?
E♭, G, B♭ and D♭. E♭7 is built 1–3–5–♭7 from E♭: G is the major third, B♭ is the perfect fifth and D♭ is the minor seventh.
How do you play E♭7 on guitar?
The usual shape is x-x-1-3-2-3 (movable). All 3 guitar shapes.
How do you play E♭7 on piano?
Play E♭, G, B♭ and D♭ 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♭7 on ukulele?
3-3-3-4 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is E♭7 in?
E♭7 belongs to 3 keys: V7 in A♭ major, V7 in G♯ minor (borrowing the raised 7th) and VII7 in F minor.
What's the difference between E♭7 and E♭?
E♭7 is E♭ plus D♭.
All three instruments are drawn and played from E♭, G, B♭ and D♭ by the same engine. Updated September 2026.