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Guitar chords · Major 7th

E♭maj7 chord on guitar (Ebmaj7)

E♭maj7 (E♭ major 7th) has four notes: E♭, G, B♭ and D, the , 3, 5 and 7.

Shapes

How to play E♭maj7

Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the ; the other numbers are the chord tones.

E♭maj7 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 6 or the E shape at fret 11. A keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the , on the lowest played string, names the chord.

  • A shape · fret 6

    6fr×R5735E♭B♭DGB♭
  • E shape · fret 11

    11fr××R735E♭DGB♭
Name a shape you're holding: the chord finder

Notes and formula

What makes E♭maj7 major 7th

A major adds the note a below the to a major chord. It sounds soft, open and a little dreamy, at home in jazz, bossa nova and soul.

  • 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
  • 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
  • 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.

The 3rd and the 7th make E♭maj7 a major ; you can leave out the 5th.

  1. E♭Rroot
  2. G3essential
  3. B♭5optional
  4. D7essential
EADGBE0135791215E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭GB♭DGB♭DGB♭DGB♭DGB♭DGB♭DGB♭DGB♭DG
  • E♭, the root
  • Other chord tones

E♭maj7 and D♯maj7 are the same chord with two names: same , same sound. Which one you see depends on the key the song is written in.

Keys

Keys with E♭maj7

E♭maj7 belongs to four keys: E♭ major (Imaj7), B♭ major (IVmaj7), C minor (IIImaj7) and G minor (VImaj7).

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

Progressions

Progressions with E♭maj7

Common progressions that use E♭maj7, each in a key that spells it E♭maj7. The outlined chord is E♭maj7.

  • Jazz ii–V–I in E♭ major

    ii7 – V7 – Imaj7

    1. Fm7
    2. B♭7
    3. E♭maj7

    Each chord falls a fifth to the next — a walk anticlockwise around the circle.

    Heard in Autumn Leaves, Fly Me to the Moon

Slash chords

E♭maj7 over another bass note

A keeps E♭maj7 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.

  • E♭maj7/G

    E♭maj7 with its 3rd, G, in the bass: the first inversion.

  • E♭maj7/B♭

    E♭maj7 with its 5th, B♭, in the bass: the second inversion.

  • E♭maj7/D

    E♭maj7 with its 7th, D, in the bass: the third inversion.

Questions

E♭maj7, in short

What notes are in the E♭maj7 chord?
E♭maj7 (E♭ major 7th) has four notes: E♭, G, B♭ and D, the , 3, 5 and 7.
How do you play E♭maj7 on guitar?
E♭maj7 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 6 or the E shape at fret 11.
What key is E♭maj7 in?
E♭maj7 belongs to four keys: E♭ major (Imaj7), B♭ major (IVmaj7), C minor (IIImaj7) and G minor (VImaj7).
Is E♭maj7 the same as D♯maj7?
Yes: same frets, same sound, different name. E♭maj7 is the spelling in E♭ major, B♭ major, C minor and G minor. No key on the circle spells it D♯maj7, so you will rarely see that name.
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