E♭ major (E♭)

Also called D♯ major (D♯).

A major chord: root, major third and fifth. A stable, bright sound.

There’s no open shape: it’s played as a barre chord, starting at the 6th fret. It’s the home chord of the key of E♭ major; you’ll also find it in B♭ major and A♭ major.

Notes:: E♭, G, B♭.
Formula:: 1, 3, 5.
Difficulty:: Intermediate.
Strings played:: 5 (from the A string).

Chord diagram

e|--6--|
B|--8--|
G|--8--|
D|--8--|
A|--6--|
E|--x--|

Other positions

e|--11--|
B|--11--|
G|--12--|
D|--13--|
A|--13--|
E|--11--|

Capo tip: put the capo at the 1st fret and play the D major shape: you hear E♭ major, with no barre.The capo

Often played with

The chords in its key, the ones you hear most often around E♭ major.

e|--4--|
B|--4--|
G|--5--|
D|--6--|
A|--6--|
E|--4--|

A♭ majorIV

e|--1--|
B|--3--|
G|--3--|
D|--3--|
A|--1--|
E|--x--|

B♭ majorV

e|--3--|
B|--4--|
G|--5--|
D|--5--|
A|--3--|
E|--x--|

C minorvi