Chords in the key of E♭ major
The key of E♭ major has three flats (B♭, E♭, A♭). Its seven chords are E♭, Fm, Gm, A♭, B♭, Cm and Ddim. Tap any of them, or play them in order.
Tap a numeral to hear one chord; tap a shape to open it.
The chords that do most of the work
E♭ is home. A♭ (IV) is the step away, B♭ (V) is the pull back, and Cm (vi), the relative minor, is the shadow of home. Those four chords, in some order, carry an enormous share of pop, rock and country songs. Fm (ii) usually leads to B♭; Gm (iii) is used for color; Ddim is tense and rarely stays long.
Key signature
E♭ major has three flats (B♭, E♭, A♭), written at the start of every line so you don't have to mark them on each note. Flat keys add one flat per step counterclockwise around the circle of fifths: E♭ major sits between B♭ major and A♭ major.
The notes of the key are the E♭ major scale: E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C D. Relative minor: C minor (same notes). Parallel minor: E♭ minor (same starting note).
Progressions in E♭ major
The progression player below starts in E♭ major. Change the key to hear the same pattern anywhere; the numerals stay the same.
In E♭ major, 4 beats per chord. Open in the progression builder
- IE♭
- VB♭
- viCm
- IVA♭
| Progression | In E♭ major | |
|---|---|---|
| I–V–vi–IV the pop progression | E♭ – B♭ – Cm – A♭ | |
| I–IV–V the three-chord progression | E♭ – A♭ – B♭ – E♭ | |
| I–vi–IV–V the 50s progression | E♭ – Cm – A♭ – B♭ | |
| ii–V–I the jazz cadence | Fm7 – B♭7 – E♭maj7 – E♭maj7 | |
| vi–IV–I–V the minor-feel pop loop | Cm – A♭ – E♭ – B♭ | |
| I–IV–vi–V the lift | E♭ – A♭ – Cm – B♭ | |
| I–vi–ii–V the turnaround | E♭ – Cm – Fm – B♭ | |
| I–iii–IV–V the stepwise climb | E♭ – Gm – A♭ – B♭ | |
| I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV–V the Canon progression | E♭ – B♭ – Cm – Gm – A♭ – E♭ – A♭ – B♭ | |
| I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) the 12-bar blues | E♭7 – E♭7 – E♭7 – E♭7 – A♭7 – A♭7 – E♭7 – E♭7 – B♭7 – A♭7 – E♭7 – B♭7 |
Secondary dominants in E♭ major
These chords borrow one note from outside the key to set up the next chord, the way V7 sets up I.
- V7 of ii
- V7 of iii
- V7 of IV
- V7 of V
- V7 of vi
Chords borrowed from the parallel key
Major-key songs often darken for a moment by taking chords from E♭ minor: G♯m (iv), B (♭VI), C♯ (♭VII) and F♯ (♭III). The minor iv (G♯m) is the classic bittersweet move before returning to E♭.
Seventh chords in E♭ major
Stack one more third on each triad for the seventh chords: E♭maj7, Fm7, Gm7, A♭maj7, B♭7, Cm7 and Dm7♭5. B♭7 is the only dominant seventh, which is why it pulls so strongly to E♭.
Playing in E♭ major on guitar
E♭ major is awkward in open position, so most guitarists use a capo: capo 1st fret with D major shapes, capo 3rd fret with C major shapes or capo 6th fret with A major shapes. Barre chords work too.
Transpose a chord chart · How a capo works
Other keys
Key of E♭ major: questions
What chords are in the key of E♭ major?
E♭, Fm, Gm, A♭, B♭, Cm and Ddim. As numerals: I = E♭, ii = Fm, iii = Gm, IV = A♭, V = B♭, vi = Cm, vii° = Ddim.
How many sharps or flats are in E♭ major?
Three flats (B♭, E♭, A♭).
What is the relative minor of E♭ major?
C minor. Same notes, same signature, a different home chord (Cm).
What are the I, IV and V chords in E♭ major?
E♭ (I), A♭ (IV) and B♭ (V). Those three chords are enough for thousands of songs.
How do I play in E♭ major on guitar with a capo?
Capo 1st fret, then play D major shapes (D, A, Bm, G); they sound as E♭, B♭, Cm, A♭.
Every chord and progression on this page is computed from the E♭ major scale and checked by the site's theory tests. Updated September 2026.