E♭ major seventh chord (E♭maj7)

E♭ major seventh is a 4-note major seventh chord: E♭ – G – B♭ – D. It sounds soft, open and dreamy. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele, with fingering and audio. Also called D♯ major seventh (D♯maj7).

NotesE♭ – G – B♭ – D
Formula1 – 3 – 5 – 7
SymbolE♭maj7 · E♭Δ7 · E♭M7 · E♭7M
EnharmonicD♯ major seventh (D♯maj7)

E♭ major seventh on guitar

Barre at fret 6 (A shape)
Fret 11 (E shape)

How to place your fingers (barre at fret 6)

Barre fret 6 with your index finger, from the 5th to the 1st string.
Finger 3 (ring) on fret 8 of the 4th string (D).
Place finger 2 (middle) at fret 7 on the 3rd string (G).
Finger 4 (pinky) on fret 8 of the 2nd string (B).
Do not play the 6th string: strum from the 5th.

The numbers inside the dots are the fingers of your left hand: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring and 4 pinky. The colored dots mark the root (E♭). The other positions let you change chords without jumping along the neck, or give you a higher-pitched sound.

E♭ major seventh on piano

In root position, play E♭ – G – B♭ – D from bottom to top with fingers 1, 2, 3 and 5 of your right hand. With your left hand you usually play just the root (E♭) or the root and the fifth.

Inversions

First inversion: G – B♭ – D – E♭
Second inversion: B♭ – D – E♭ – G
Third inversion: D – E♭ – G – B♭

E♭ major seventh on ukulele

Open position
From fret 6

Standard tuning G – C – E – A (the G string is the high one). Is your ukulele in tune? Use the ukulele tuner.

Notes and intervals of E♭ major seventh

E♭1 · root
G3 · major third
B♭5 · perfect fifth
D7 · major seventh

Widely used in bossa nova, jazz, ballads and pop: it adds color to the tonic or the fourth degree without creating strong tension.

Progressions with E♭maj7

Turnaround: Imaj7 – vi7 – ii7 – V7

A four-chord turnaround widely used in jazz, bossa nova and ballads, in E♭ major.

A colorful fourth degree: Imaj7 – IVmaj7

Two major seventh chords that alternate to create a mellow mood.

Which keys contain E♭ major seventh?

E♭maj7 belongs to 4 keys: in each one it plays a different role depending on the degree (the Roman numeral).

Key	Degree
E♭ major	Imaj7
B♭ major	IVmaj7
C natural minor	IIImaj7
G natural minor	VImaj7

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in an E♭ major seventh chord?

E♭ major seventh (E♭maj7) has 4 notes: E♭ (root), G (major third), B♭ (perfect fifth), D (major seventh).

How do you play E♭ major seventh on guitar?

The most common shape uses a barre at fret 6: x 6 8 7 8 6 (from the 6th to the 1st string). Barre fret 6 with your index finger, from the 5th to the 1st string. Place finger 3 (ring) at fret 8 on the 4th string (D). Place finger 2 (middle) at fret 7 on the 3rd string (G). Place finger 4 (pinky) at fret 8 on the 2nd string (B). Do not play the 6th string: strum from the 5th.

Is E♭maj7 the same as D♯maj7?

Yes: E♭ major seventh and D♯ major seventh sound the same and are played the same way (they are enharmonic). The spelling depends on the key of the song; you will see both names in sheet music and songbooks.

How do you write E♭ major seventh in chord notation?

It's written E♭maj7; you may also see E♭Δ7, E♭M7 or E♭7M. Letter notation uses letters for note names: C, D, E, F, G, A and B correspond to Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La and Si.

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