Chords in the Key of E♭ Major — Ukulele Chord Chart

The key of E♭ major has 3 flats, and its seven chords are E♭, Fm, Gm, A♭, B♭, Cm, Ddim. Start with E♭, A♭, B♭: they are the three a song in E♭ major cannot do without. Every diagram below plays when you press it.

The seven chords of E♭ major

One chord on each note of the scale, built from the scale’s own notes. Capital numerals are major chords, small ones minor, and ° is diminished.

IE♭0331the home chord
iiFm1013leads to V
iiiGm0231a softer stand-in for I
IVA♭1343the step away from home
VB♭3211pulls back to I
viCm0333the relative minor
vii°Ddim7545rare — a passing chord

The three to learn first

E♭ is home — the chord the song starts from and ends on. A♭ is the step away, and B♭ is the one that pulls back home. On ukulele they are 0331, 1343 and 3211: E♭ with three fingers, A♭ with four fingers and B♭ with a barre at the 1st fret and two more fingers.

The easy way: a capo at the 1st fret

E♭ major is not a friendly key on ukulele — A♭ and B♭ need a barre or a fourth finger. Clamp a capo at the 1st fret and play the chords of D major instead: every shape sounds 1 semitone higher, so the D shape sounds E♭, the G shape sounds A♭ and the A shape sounds B♭.

Progressions in E♭ major

The orders these chords are most often played in. Press play to hear each one strummed, a bar to a chord.

I – IV – VE♭ – A♭ – B♭

Three chords, and thousands of folk, blues, country and rock songs.

I – V – vi – IVE♭ – B♭ – Cm – A♭

The four-chord pop progression.

I – vi – IV – VE♭ – Cm – A♭ – B♭

The 1950s doo-wop turnaround.

ii – V – IFm – B♭7 – E♭

The jazz cadence: two steps toward home, then home.

The sevenths

Four-note versions of the same chords. B♭7 is the one worth learning first: it is B♭ with one note added, and it pulls toward E♭ harder than the plain chord does.

V7B♭71211the dominant with its seventh — the strongest pull home
Imaj7E♭maj73335home, softened
ii7Fm71313the jazz player’s way into V7

The scale behind the chords

E♭ major is the notes E♭ – F – G – A♭ – B♭ – C – D. Every chord above uses only those seven notes, which is why they sound as if they belong together — and why a melody in E♭ major fits over any of them. Its relative minor is C minor, which has the same notes and the same chords with a different home.

The nearest keys are a fifth either side: B♭ major and A♭ major. Each shares six of this key’s seven notes, which is why songs change key to them so often.

Frequently asked questions

What chords are in the key of E♭ major?

E♭ (I), Fm (ii), Gm (iii), A♭ (IV), B♭ (V), Cm (vi), Ddim (vii°). They are the seven chords you get by stacking thirds on each note of the E♭ major scale — E♭, F, G, A♭, B♭, C, D — using only notes of that scale.

What are the three main chords in E♭ major?

E♭, A♭ and B♭ — the chords on the first, fourth and fifth notes of the scale. E♭ is home, A♭ moves away from it and B♭ pulls back. A great many songs use only these three.

What is the relative minor of E♭ major?

C minor. The two keys share all seven notes and all seven chords, in a different order: what is vi in E♭ major is the home chord of C minor. A song can move between them without any chord sounding out of place.

Is E♭ major an easy key on ukulele?

2 of its six everyday chords — A♭ and B♭ — need a barre or four fingers on ukulele. The usual way round that is a capo at the 1st fret, playing the chord shapes of D major.

Ukulele Chords in the Key of E♭ Major