Chords › E♭ major

E Flat Major Chord on Guitar

E♭
E♭ · G · B♭
Barre at fret 6
Also written D♯

A-shape barre

E flat major, written E♭, is a major chord: the root, the major third and the fifth. E♭ has no open shape, so it is usually played as an A-shape barre chord at the 6th fret, and there is an easier four-string version for beginners.

How to play E♭, finger by finger

Lay your index finger flat across strings 5 to 1 at the 6th fret.
Put your middle finger on string 4 at the 8th fret.
Put your ring finger on string 3 at the 8th fret.
Put your pinky finger on string 2 at the 8th fret.
Strum from string 5 down to string 1, and don't play string 6.

Easy E♭ for beginners

Easy, four strings

Play only the top four strings. It has all three notes of the chord and no full barre.

More ways to play E♭

E-shape barre from fret 11

Movable, fret 3 from fret 3

Open, fret 4 from fret 4

Movable, fret 5 from fret 5

Movable, fret 6 from fret 6

Barre, fret 8 from fret 8

Movable, fret 10 from fret 10

Movable, fret 11 from fret 11

Notes in E♭ major

Note	Interval	Role
E♭	1	root
G	3	major third
B♭	5	fifth

Formula: 1 – 3 – 5

Questions about E♭

What notes are in E♭?

E♭, G and B♭. Those are the 1, 3, 5 of the chord, counted from E♭.

What is the easiest way to play E♭?

Play the four-string version on the top strings, frets 1, 3, 4, 3 from the 4th string to the 1st. Move to the full barre at the 6th fret when your index finger is ready.

Is E♭ the same as D♯?

Yes, on guitar they are played the same way and sound the same. E flat and D sharp are two names for one note: songs in sharp keys write D♯, songs in flat keys write E♭.

Often played with E♭

Other major chords