E♭ minor chord on guitar (E♭m)

E♭m is E♭, G♭ and B♭. The usual shape is x-x-1-3-4-2. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.

x-x-1-3-4-2 · movable · medium

Notes: E♭ · G♭ · B♭
Formula: 1 · ♭3 · 5
First shape: x-x-1-3-4-2

How to play E♭m on guitar

Shape 1, x-x-1-3-4-2, reading from the low E string on the left:

Index finger: D string, 1st fret (E♭).
Middle finger: high E string, 2nd fret (G♭).
Ring finger: G string, 3rd fret (B♭).
Pinky: B string, 4th fret (E♭).
Don't play the low E and A strings: start your strum on 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.
This one reaches. Let the thumb slide lower on the neck and the stretch gets noticeably easier.
Only four strings sound, so strum from the string marked first and aim your pick at the treble strings.

Other ways to play E♭m

11-13-13-11-11-11: barre shape at the 11th fret, medium. Built on the Em open shape with the barre as a movable nut; the root is on the 6th string.
x-6-8-8-7-6: 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.

Playing E♭m with a capo

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

Changing from E♭m to the chords around it

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

A♭ (V in D♭ major): E♭m (x-x-1-3-4-2) to A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 4th fret, the middle finger goes to the G string, 5th fret, move the ring finger to 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. A♭ on guitar
F♯ (IV in D♭ major): E♭m (x-x-1-3-4-2) to F♯ (2-4-4-3-2-2): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 2nd fret, the middle finger goes to the G string, 3rd fret, move the ring finger to the A string, 4th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Shared notes: G♭ and B♭. F♯ on guitar
C♯ (I in D♭ major): E♭m (x-x-1-3-4-2) to C♯ (x-4-6-6-6-4): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 4th fret, move the middle finger to the D string, 6th fret, the ring finger goes to the G string, 6th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. C♯ on guitar

E♭m has the gentle, slightly melancholy sound of a minor chord. A minor chord softens a progression. Try E♭m right after E♭ major to hear how much one note changes. The slow arpeggio button above makes that quality easy to hear.

A short E♭m drill

Pick shape 1 one string at a time, low to high: E♭, B♭, E♭, G♭. Every note should ring clearly; if one thuds, adjust that finger before you strum. Then switch to 11-13-13-11-11-11 and back four times without looking at your hand.

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

E♭m in context

In E♭ minor, i–VI–III–VII on guitar is E♭m (x-x-1-3-4-2), B (x-2-4-4-4-2), F♯ (2-4-4-3-2-2) and C♯ (x-4-6-6-6-4). About the minor anthem.

In E♭ minor, i–iv–V on guitar is E♭m (x-x-1-3-4-2), G♯m (4-6-6-4-4-4) and B♭ (x-1-3-3-3-1). About the minor cadence.

In E♭ minor, i–VII–VI–V on guitar is E♭m (x-x-1-3-4-2), C♯ (x-4-6-6-6-4), B (x-2-4-4-4-2) and B♭ (x-1-3-3-3-1). About the Andalusian cadence.

E♭m on piano and ukulele

Switching instruments? Try E♭m on ukulele or E♭m on piano, or compare them on the E♭m chord page.

Next to try on guitar

Other minor chords

E♭m on guitar: questions

What notes are in E♭m on guitar?

E♭, G♭ and B♭. In the x-x-1-3-4-2 shape the strings play E♭ (D string), B♭ (G string), E♭ (B string) and G♭ (high E string), so E♭ is doubled.

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

E♭m has no open-string shape in standard tuning, so every version needs a barre or a stretch. Start with x-x-1-3-4-2. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and in many songs a capo can take over part of the work.

Is E♭m a barre chord on guitar?

Not the usual shape: x-x-1-3-4-2 needs no barre. Barre forms exist up the neck if you want a different sound.

Which string does E♭m start on?

In the x-x-1-3-4-2 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.

Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside E♭m. Updated September 2026.