E♭maj7 chord on guitar

E♭maj7 is E♭, G, B♭ and D. The usual shape is x-x-1-3-3-3. Play it once at full speed, then at a quarter to hear every note.

x-x-1-3-3-3 · movable · medium

Notes: E♭ · G · B♭ · D
Formula: 1 · 3 · 5 · 7
First shape: x-x-1-3-3-3

How to play E♭maj7 on guitar

Shape 1, x-x-1-3-3-3, reading from the low E string on the left:

Put your index finger on the D string at the 1st fret, which is E♭.
Put your middle finger on the G string at the 3rd fret, which is B♭.
Put your ring finger on the B string at the 3rd fret, which is D.
Put your pinky finger on the high E string at the 3rd fret, which is G.
Skip the low E and A strings and begin the strum from the D string.

The pinky takes a note here. Keep it curved and close to the fretboard between chords so it has less distance to travel.
With four strings sounding, a shorter strum works best: start on the first played string and stop at the high E.

Other ways to play E♭maj7

11-13-12-12-11-11: barre shape at the 11th fret, medium. Built on the Emaj7 open shape with the barre as a movable nut; the root is on the 6th string.
x-6-8-7-8-6: barre shape at the 6th fret, medium. Root on the 5th string, so it pairs well with the 6th-string shape a few frets away.

Capo shortcuts for E♭maj7

With a capo you can skip the harder shapes: capo on the 1st fret and play the open Dmaj7 shape (x-x-0-2-2-2), capo on the 3rd fret and play the open Cmaj7 shape (x-3-2-0-0-0) or capo on the 6th fret and play the open Amaj7 shape (x-0-2-1-2-0). Everything above the capo is fingered exactly like the open chord.

E♭maj7 chord changes

The chords E♭maj7 usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.

A♭maj7 (IV in E♭ major): E♭maj7 (x-x-1-3-3-3) 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, move the middle finger to the D string, 5th fret, your ring finger lands on the G string, 5th fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. Shared notes: E♭ and G. A♭maj7 on guitar
B♭7 (V in E♭ major): E♭maj7 (x-x-1-3-3-3) to B♭7 (x-1-3-1-3-1): your ring finger stays put, the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, the middle finger slides across to the D string at the same fret. Listen for B♭ and D, which stay put while the rest moves. B♭7 on guitar
Cm7 (vi in E♭ major): E♭maj7 (x-x-1-3-3-3) to Cm7 (x-3-5-3-4-3): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 3rd fret, the middle finger goes to the B string, 4th fret, your ring finger lands on the D string, 5th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. E♭, G and B♭ carry over from one chord to the other. Cm7 on guitar

E♭maj7 is a major seventh chord: a major triad with the note a half step below the octave added. E♭maj7 works as a relaxed home chord; swap it in for plain E♭ at the end of a phrase. The slow arpeggio button above makes that quality easy to hear.

Getting E♭maj7 under your fingers

Arpeggiate x-x-1-3-3-3 from the lowest string: E♭, B♭, D, G. Then strum it and listen for the same 4 notes together. Next, alternate x-x-1-3-3-3 and 11-13-12-12-11-11, slowly, until the change takes less than a beat.

Written D♯maj7, it's the same chord with the same frets.

Keys and progressions with E♭maj7

In E♭ major, ii–V–I on guitar is Fm7 (1-3-1-1-1-1), B♭7 (x-1-3-1-3-1) and E♭maj7 (x-x-1-3-3-3). About the jazz cadence.

E♭maj7 on piano and ukulele

The same notes on another instrument: E♭maj7 on piano and E♭maj7 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.

Close to E♭maj7

Other major seventh chords

E♭maj7 on guitar: questions

What notes are in E♭maj7 on guitar?

E♭, G, B♭ and D. In the x-x-1-3-3-3 shape the strings play E♭ (D string), B♭ (G string), D (B string) and G (high E string).

What's the easiest way to play E♭maj7 on guitar?

No open-string E♭maj7 exists in standard tuning; x-x-1-3-3-3 is the place to start. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and in many songs a capo can take over part of the work.

Is E♭maj7 a barre chord on guitar?

Not in its common form: x-x-1-3-3-3 needs no barre. Barre forms exist up the neck if you want a different sound.

Which string does E♭maj7 start on?

In the x-x-1-3-3-3 shape the lowest string you play is the D string at the 1st fret, which is E♭, the root. Skip the low E and A strings.

Shapes and sound are generated from the notes E♭, G, B♭ and D and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.