Read left to right, 4th string to 1st: a number is a fret, 0 is an open string.
- Index finger on the 1st fret of the A string (1st).
- Middle finger on the 2nd fret of the E string (2nd).
- Ring finger on the 3rd fret of the G string (4th).
- Little finger on the 3rd fret of the C string (3rd).
String by string
What each string does in this shape, and which note of the chord it sounds. This is what to listen for when you pluck them one at a time.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note | In the chord |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th (G) | fret 3 | ring | B♭4 | fifth |
| 3rd (C) | fret 3 | little | E♭4 | root |
| 2nd (E) | fret 2 | middle | G♭4 | minor third |
| 1st (A) | fret 1 | index | B♭4 | fifth |
One string at a time: a chord strummed into a microphone is several notes at once, and a single string is something the page can hear exactly. A string in tune but on the wrong fret, or deadened by the finger beside it, shows up here and not on a tuner. Tap a string to check it again.
2 other ways to play E♭m
The same 3 notes, somewhere else on the neck. A different shape puts a different note on top, so each one colours the chord slightly differently — and one of them is usually nearer the chord you are coming from.
- 3666A shape at the 3rd fret · four fingers
- 8666A barre at the 6th fret and one more finger
Holding it cleanly
Press just behind each fret, not on top of it and not in the middle of the gap: that is where the least pressure gives a clean note.
The notes in E♭m
A minor chord is built from the root (1), ♭3 and 5 of its root’s major scale. From E♭ that gives E♭ – G♭ – B♭. The major chord with its middle note lowered a semitone: darker, and just as stable.
The same root, other chords: E♭ major, E♭7, E♭maj7, E♭m7, E♭sus2, E♭sus4, E♭dim, E♭aug.
Keys that use E♭m
E♭m is built from the notes of 6 keys. Each link is that key’s full set of ukulele chords — the ones that sound right next to this one.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in a E♭m chord?
E♭ minor is three notes: E♭ – G♭ – B♭ — the root, ♭3 and 5 of the E♭ major scale. On ukulele the shape 3321 sounds B♭4, E♭4, G♭4 and B♭4, so some of those notes appear more than once.
What is the easiest way to play E♭m on ukulele?
The usual shape is 3321 — a shape at the 1st fret, with four fingers. It is already about as easy as this chord gets.
Is E♭m the same chord as D♯m?
Yes — on ukulele they are the same frets and the same sound. E♭ and D♯ are two names for one pitch, and which name a songbook prints depends on the key: a piece in a sharp key writes D♯m, a piece in a flat key writes E♭m.
What is the difference between E♭m and E♭?
One note. E♭m has a minor third (G♭); E♭ raises it a semitone. That single fret is the whole difference between the two sounds.
What keys is E♭m in?
E♭m is one of the seven chords of D♭ major (as ii), F♯ major (as vi), B major (as iii), B♭ minor (as iv), E♭ minor (as i) and G♯ minor (as v).