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E-flat Major Chord
The E-flat Major Chord is E-flat, G, and B-flat: black, white, black. The thumb and fifth finger both start on black keys, so the hand sits naturally in toward the fallboard, with the middle finger reaching the white key G. The sound is warm and round, a little less bright than the white-key major chords.
How to play the E-flat Major Chord on the piano
Let’s go through some charts that will familiarize you with the E-flat Major Chord and how to play it in the various forms you will encounter in pieces of music. First, we’ll look at the fundamental chord and its inversions; then, we’ll explore some more complex voicings.
The E-flat Major Chord in root position
In root position, the notes of the E♭ major chord are stacked in thirds with E♭ on the bottom. The appearance on the staff is evenly spaced, as is the feeling of the space in between your fingers while playing.
| E-flat Major Chord in root position | |
|---|---|
| Note Order | E♭ G B♭ |
| Left Hand Fingering | 5 3 1 |
| Right Hand Fingering | 1 3 5 |
| Chord Symbol | E♭ |
The E-flat Major Chord in first inversion
In first inversion, the third of the chord (G) becomes the bottom note, and the root (E♭) jumps up to the top.
| E-flat Major Chord in 1st inversion | |
|---|---|
| Note Order | G B♭ E♭ |
| Left Hand Fingering | 5 3 1 |
| Right Hand Fingering | 1 2 5 |
| Chord Symbol | E♭6 or E♭/G |
The E-flat Major Chord in second inversion
In second inversion, the fifth of the chord (B♭) is on the bottom, and the third of the chord (G) goes to the top.
| E-flat Major Chord in 2nd inversion | |
|---|---|
| Note Order | B♭ E♭ G |
| Left Hand Fingering | 5 2 1 |
| Right Hand Fingering | 1 3 5 |
| Chord Symbol | E♭6/4 or E♭/B♭ |
E-flat Major Chord theory and function
A major chord is the most settled sound in tonal music. What it does depends on the key around it: it can be home, it can lead away from home, or it can pull back toward it.
The E♭ major chord is the tonic (I) in E♭ major, the dominant (V) in A♭ major, and the subdominant (IV) in B♭ major. In minor keys, it is the mediant (III) in C minor, the submediant (VI) in G minor, and the subtonic (VII) in F minor. On the keyboard this is the same chord as D♯ major, and the spelling follows the key. The D♯ major chord is the dominant (V) in G♯ minor.
Three chords, I, IV, and V, account for a great deal of the hymns, folk songs, and early classical pieces a student will meet. In E♭ major that is E♭ – A♭ – B♭ – E♭. Try listening for the job the chord is doing: after the dominant it sounds like arriving, and after the tonic it sounds like stepping away.
Other chords built on E-flat
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