E♭ major chord on piano (E♭)
E♭ is E♭, G and B♭. E♭ sits on the black key between D and E. Tap Play, then slow it down.
root position · E♭–G–B♭ · right hand 1-3-5
- Notes
- E♭ · G · B♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
How to play E♭ on piano
Start on E♭, count 4 half steps up to G then 3 half steps up to B♭. That's the whole chord: 3 keys.
- Right hand: 1 on E♭, 3 on G and 5 on B♭.
- Left hand: 5 on E♭, 3 on G and 1 on B♭.
- On the keyboard it's black, white and black keys, the same pattern as C♯ and A♭, so your hand shape carries over.
E♭ inversions
- root position: E♭–G–B♭. RH 1-3-5.
- 1st inversion: G–B♭–E♭ (G in the bass). Right hand 1-2-5.
- 2nd inversion: B♭–E♭–G (B♭ in the bass). Fingers 1-3-5.
Nobody plays every chord in root position. The inversions let E♭ sit wherever the previous chord left your hand.
Changing from E♭ to the chords around it
The chords E♭ usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.
- A♭ (IV in E♭ major): E♭ to A♭: play A♭ in 2nd inversion (E♭–A♭–C) and E♭ stays under the same finger, while G moves up to A♭ and B♭ up to C. A♭ on piano
- B♭ (V in E♭ major): E♭ to B♭: play B♭ in 1st inversion (D–F–B♭) and B♭ stays under the same finger, while E♭ moves down to D and G down to F. B♭ on piano
- Cm (vi in E♭ major): E♭ to Cm: play Cm in 1st inversion (E♭–G–C) and E♭ and G stay under the same fingers, while B♭ moves up to C. Cm on piano
E♭ is a major triad: bright, settled and stable. Major chords are the backbone of most songs; E♭ is home in E♭ major and a common IV or V in the keys around it. Play it solid and then broken to hear the difference.
A short E♭ drill
Roll the chord up and back down, E♭, G, B♭, G, E♭, before playing it as a block. Then climb the inversions: E♭–G–B♭, then G–B♭–E♭, then B♭–E♭–G.
The keys of E♭
E♭ is a major chord, 1–3–5 from E♭. Root position, from the bottom: how E♭ is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| E♭ | black key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| G | white key | RH 3 · LH 3 | major third |
| B♭ | black key | RH 5 · LH 1 | perfect fifth |
Written D♯, it's the same chord with the same keys.
Keys and progressions with E♭
In E♭ major, I–V–vi–IV on piano is E♭ (E♭–G–B♭), B♭ (B♭–D–F), Cm (C–E♭–G) and A♭ (A♭–C–E♭). About the pop progression.
In E♭ major, I–IV–V on piano is E♭ (E♭–G–B♭), A♭ (A♭–C–E♭) and B♭ (B♭–D–F). About the three-chord progression.
In E♭ major, I–vi–IV–V on piano is E♭ (E♭–G–B♭), Cm (C–E♭–G), A♭ (A♭–C–E♭) and B♭ (B♭–D–F). About the 50s progression.
E♭ on guitar and ukulele
E♭ on guitar and ukulele uses the same 3 notes in a different layout. See all three together.
Next to try on piano
Other major chords
E♭ on piano: questions
What notes are in E♭ on piano?
E♭, G and B♭: E♭ (black key), G (white key) and B♭ (black key). Right hand 1-3-5, left hand 5-3-1.
How do you play E♭ on piano?
Press E♭, G and B♭ together (2 black, 1 white). Right hand: 1 on E♭, 3 on G and 5 on B♭.
What are the inversions of E♭?
1st inversion (G–B♭–E♭) and 2nd inversion (B♭–E♭–G), after root position (E♭–G–B♭). Same notes, a different one at the bottom.
What does E♭ look like on the keyboard?
black, white and black keys, the same pattern as C♯ and A♭, so one hand shape covers all of them.
Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside E♭. Updated September 2026.