Chords in every key · 6 flats
Chords in the key of E♭ minor
The seven chords in E♭ minor are E♭m, F°, G♭, A♭m, B♭m, C♭ and D♭. E♭ minor has six flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭ and C♭.
The seven chords
Play the chords of E♭ minor
Tap a chord to hear it. The A chord written by its place in the key: upper case for major (IV), lower case for minor (vi), ° for diminished. is its place in the key; the colour is its job: home, moving away, or pulling back home.
None of the chords in E♭ minor has an A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em., so you play them as A chord where one finger presses several strings at the same fret, like a movable nut, so the shape works anywhere on the neck., or put a A clamp across all six strings at one fret. It raises every open string, so familiar shapes play in a higher key. on and use open shapes from an easier key.
Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work
Key signature and scale
The E♭ minor scale
E♭ minor has six flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭ and C♭.
- E♭1
- F2
- G♭♭3
- A♭4
- B♭5
- C♭♭6
- D♭♭7
- E♭, the tonic
- Other scale notes
Progressions
Common chord progressions in E♭ minor
The same patterns of A chord written by its place in the key: upper case for major (IV), lower case for minor (vi), ° for diminished. turn up in thousands of songs. Here they are in this key, ready to play.
Minor pop
i – VI – III – VII
- E♭m
- C♭
- G♭
- D♭
The pop axis rotated to start on the relative minor — same four chords, darker centre.
Heard in Zombie, Numb, Despacito
Minor pop in every keyAndalusian cadence
i – VII – VI – V
- E♭m
- D♭
- C♭
- B♭
A stepwise walk down to a major V borrowed from harmonic minor. Flamenco's signature move.
Heard in Hit the Road Jack, Runaway, Stray Cat Strut
Andalusian cadence in every keyMinor ii–V–i
iiø7 – V7 – i7
- Fm7♭5
- B♭7
- E♭m7
Half-diminished ii, dominant V7 and back to the minor tonic.
Heard in Blue Bossa, Autumn Leaves
Minor ii–V–i in every key
Related keys
Keys close to E♭ minor
Keys that share most of their notes sound natural side by side, which is why songs so often move between them.
- Relative major: same notesG♭ majorG♭, A♭m, B♭m, C♭, D♭, E♭m and F°
- Parallel major: same tonicE♭ majorE♭, Fm, Gm, A♭, B♭, Cm and D°
- One step anticlockwiseA♭ minorA♭m, B♭°, C♭, D♭m, E♭m, F♭ and G♭
- One step clockwiseB♭ minorB♭m, C°, D♭, E♭m, Fm, G♭ and A♭
Capo
Play E♭ minor with a capo
E♭ minor's main chords are E♭m, A♭m, B♭m and C♭. With the A clamp across all six strings at one fret. It raises every open string, so familiar shapes play in a higher key. on The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. 6, play them as Am, Dm, Em and F: three of the four are A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em..
Two spellings
E♭ minor and D♯ minor
E♭ minor has six flats, D♯ minor six sharps. E♭ minor spells one note unusually: C♭ (played as B). Both spellings are in common use.
E♭ minor
6 flats
E♭m, F°, G♭, A♭m, B♭m, C♭ and D♭
D♯ minor
6 sharps
D♯m, E♯°, F♯, G♯m, A♯m, B and C♯
Both sound exactly the same and use the same The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step.. The spelling only matters when you read or write the music: each letter appears once in a key, so the notes keep the names the key gives them. See the chords in D♯ minor.
Questions
E♭ minor, in short
- What chords are in the key of E♭ minor?
- The seven chords in E♭ minor are E♭m, F°, G♭, A♭m, B♭m, C♭ and D♭. E♭ minor has six flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭ and C♭.
- What is the relative major of E♭ minor?
- G♭ major. It uses the same seven notes and the same The sharps or flats written at the start of each line of music, telling you which notes the key changes. as E♭ minor, so the two keys share all their chords.
- How many flats are in E♭ minor?
- E♭ minor has six flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭ and C♭.
- Which keys are next to E♭ minor on the circle of fifths?
- A♭ minor (one step anticlockwise) and B♭ minor (one step clockwise). Their chords overlap most with E♭ minor's, which makes them the easiest keys to change to.
- Is E♭ minor the same as D♯ minor?
- They sound the same: every note and chord is played on the same The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step.. Only the spelling differs. E♭ minor has six flats, D♯ minor six sharps. E♭ minor spells one note unusually: C♭ (played as B). Both spellings are in common use.