PorchtoneQuick answer: the seven chords in E♭ major are E♭, Fm, Gm, A♭, B♭, Cm, D°. The strongest are E♭, A♭ and B♭ (the I, IV and V); most songs in E♭ lean on those.
The chords
| E♭IE♭ G B♭ | FmiiF A♭ C | GmiiiG B♭ D | A♭IVA♭ C E♭ | B♭VB♭ D F | CmviC E♭ G | D°vii°D F A♭ |
Progressions that sound good in E♭
- Pop anthemE♭ – B♭ – Cm – A♭ (I V vi IV)
Big, hopeful, singable. One of the most used progressions in pop.
- SensitiveCm – A♭ – E♭ – B♭ (vi IV I V)
The same four chords starting on the minor: wistful, then lifting.
- FiftiesE♭ – Cm – A♭ – B♭ (I vi IV V)
Doo-wop and slow-dance warmth.
- LiftA♭ – E♭ – B♭ – Cm (IV I V vi)
Starts away from home, so it feels like it is always reaching.
- Slow burnE♭ – Gm – A♭ – B♭ (I iii IV V)
Tender, with a gentle ache on the iii chord.
- HymnE♭ – A♭ – E♭ – B♭ (I IV I V)
Plain and honest; leaves room for the words.
- Three chordsE♭ – A♭ – B♭ (I IV V)
The backbone of folk, country and rock and roll.
- HighwayE♭ – D♭ – A♭ – E♭ (I bVII IV I)
Open-road rock: the borrowed ♭VII gives it swagger.
- HeartlandE♭ – D♭ – A♭ – A♭ (I bVII IV IV)
Jangly, wide-open guitar rock.
- 12-bar bluesE♭7 – E♭7 – E♭7 – E♭7 – A♭7 – A♭7 – E♭7 – E♭7 – B♭7 – A♭7 – E♭7 – B♭7 (I7 I7 I7 I7 IV7 IV7 I7 I7 V7 IV7 I7 V7)
Twelve bars that most of rock and roll grew out of.
- Two-five-oneFm7 – B♭7 – E♭maj7 (ii7 V7 Imaj7)
The basic cadence of jazz standards.
Playing in E♭ with a capo
If the barre chords in E♭ are a stretch, put a capo on and play easier open shapes. The song still sounds in E♭.
| Capo | Play these shapes |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | D, Em, G♭m, G, A, Bm (shapes from D) |
| Fret 3 | C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am (shapes from C) |
| Fret 6 | A, Bm, D♭m, D, E, G♭m (shapes from A) |
Related keys
E♭ major shares all its chords with its relative minor, C minor. Its closest neighbours are B♭ major and A♭ major, which share six of its seven notes and make easy key changes.