E♭maj7 chord
Lush, warm, and jazzy. The natural 7th sits a semitone below the octave, giving a soft, unresolved shimmer.
E♭ major 7th · 2 voicings
Notes in E♭maj7
How to Play E♭maj7
Barre, Emaj7 shape
11 13 12 12 11 11
Barre, Amaj7 shape
x 6 8 7 8 6
Numbers under each diagram are frets, string 6 (thickest) to string 1. x means don't play that string; 0 means play it open.
Where E♭maj7 Is Used
E♭maj7 occurs naturally in 2 major keys. Its roman numeral tells you the job it does in each — the same chord feels like home in one key and like tension in another.
| Key | Degree | Role |
|---|---|---|
| E♭ major | I | Tonic — the home chord |
| B♭ major | IV | Subdominant — moves away from home |
Progressions featuring E♭maj7
- I – V – vi – IV — the most common progression in pop
- I – IV – V — the backbone of blues and early rock
- vi – IV – I – V — the pop-punk staple
Playing tips for E♭maj7
E♭maj7has no standard open-position shape, so every voicing here is movable — the same finger pattern works at any fret, and sliding it changes the chord's root. Barre with the flat edge of your index finger, slightly rolled toward the headstock, rather than the soft centre of the pad.
If a string buzzes or sounds dead, the usual causes are a fingertip leaning against it, not quite enough pressure, or a finger too far behind the fret. Play each string one at a time to find which one is failing before adjusting the whole shape — and make sure your guitar is in tune first, since an out-of-tune string will make a correct shape sound wrong. Use our free online tuner to check.
Related Chords
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