E♭ major
The major key on the tonic E♭. Its key signature has three flats: B♭, E♭ and A♭. E♭ major is one of the keys that, according to the page Key Signatures, cover a large part of the literature for guitar, piano and choir.
- Tonic
- E♭
- Key signature
- 3 ♭ (B♭, E♭, A♭)
- Tonic chord
- E♭–G–B♭
- Dominant
- B♭ major, B♭–D–F
- Subdominant
- A♭ major, A♭–C–E♭
- Relative key
- C minor
- Parallel key
- E♭ minor
Three flats before the first note
E♭ major sits on the circle of fifths between B♭ major with two flats and A♭ major with four. The Circle of Fifths page lists it with “3 ♭ (on B, E and A)”, in notes that is B♭, E♭ and A♭. The page Key Signatures describes how to order the flat keys: the flats follow the series B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, F♭. In E♭ major the first three apply.
The same page advises automating the common keys first: G, D, F, B♭ and E♭ major cover most of the literature for guitar, piano and choir. E♭ major therefore belongs to the basic stock of keys you should know with confidence.
E♭ major scale
Four of the eight notes carry a flat: E♭, A♭, B♭ and E♭ again. Only F, G, C and D are natural notes. Semitone steps lie between G and A♭ and between D and E♭.
The chords of E♭ major
On every degree of the scale a triad arises from two thirds. In E♭ major the degrees I, IV and V are major chords: E♭, A♭ and B♭. The degrees ii, iii and vi are minor chords, the seventh degree carries a diminished triad. The derivation for C major and A minor is on the page Diatonic chords, the table transfers it to E♭ major.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I | E♭ | E♭–G–B♭ |
| ii | Fm | F–A♭–C |
| iii | Gm | G–B♭–D |
| IV | A♭ | A♭–C–E♭ |
| V | B♭ | B♭–D–F |
| vi | Cm | C–E♭–G |
| vii° | D° | D–F–A♭ |
E♭ – A♭ – B♭ – E♭ is the simplest cadence of the key: tonic, subdominant, dominant, tonic. More closing formulas are on the page Cadences.
E♭ major with the capo
On the guitar E♭ major is a typical case for the capo. The article Using a capo properly describes: if a singer needs a song in E♭ major, the alternative is to learn four barre chords. With the capo at the third fret you go on playing C major shapes and sound in E♭ major. For accompaniment in a choir, in a group and round a campfire that is the difference between “can't be done” and “right away”.
The article also warns of a misunderstanding: anyone who plays C shapes with the capo at the third fret and tells the band “we play in C” causes chaos. The right thing is to name the sounding key and the shape with it: “E♭ major, I play C with the capo on three”.
Related keys and a piece
The relative key C minor has the same key signature but the tonic C. The neighbours on the circle of fifths differ from E♭ major in exactly one note: B♭ major has no A♭, A♭ major has an additional D♭.
A piece with the key signature of E♭ major lies in the archive in the relative key:
Piano
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Menuett c-Moll BWV Anh. 121, from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach · piano · 1 page
Three flats in the key signature as in E♭ major, 3/4. The melody begins on C and the piece ends on C with a fermata, so it is in the relative key C minor. Both parts have repeat signs, in the melody there are several natural signs, among others before B, E and A, and an F♯ twice (bar 4 with a trill and bar 22).
Common mistakes
- Setting only two flats: With B♭ and E♭ you get B♭ major. For E♭ major the A♭ is added.
- Naming the key after the capo shape: What sounds is E♭ major, what is fretted is C. You tell the band the sounding key.
- Confusing E♭ major and C minor: Both have three flats. The ending decides whether a piece is in major or minor.
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Related terms
C minorE♭ minorB♭ majorA♭ majorRelative keyMajorTonicDominantSubdominantDiatonic chordCircle of fifthsKeyAccidental
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
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