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E♭ 7th chord on bass (E♭7)
Also called or written E♭7, E♭, E♭ Dominant 7th or E♭ Major Minor 7th
E♭ 7th is built from E♭, G, B♭, and D♭. The 11th-fret shape stretches the pinky to fret 13 on the A string, making clean fretting the main challenge.
How it is built
Formula 1, 3, 5, ♭7
- Root positionE♭–G–B♭–D♭E♭711-13-11-12
- First inversionG–B♭–D♭–E♭E♭7/Gno shape on this instrument
- Second inversionB♭–D♭–E♭–GE♭7/B♭6-6-5-6
- Third inversionD♭–E♭–G–B♭E♭7/D♭9-10-8-8
How do you play an E♭ 7th chord on bass?
E♭ 7th is played at the 11th fret as 11 13 11 12: index finger on the E string at fret 11, pinky finger on the A string at fret 13, middle finger on the D string at fret 11 and ring finger on the G string at fret 12.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 11 | 1 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (A) | 13 | 4 | B♭ (5) |
| 2 (D) | 11 | 2 | D♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (G) | 12 | 3 | G (3) |
AdvancedThe pinky must reach from the 11th fret to the 13th fret on the A string while the other fingers hold their frets cleanly.
E♭7/B♭ inversion
E♭ 7th is played at the 5th fret as 6 6 5 6: middle finger on the E string at fret 6, ring finger on the A string at fret 6, index finger on the D string at fret 5 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 6.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 6 | 2 | B♭ (5) |
| 3 (A) | 6 | 3 | E♭ (1) |
| 2 (D) | 5 | 1 | G (3) |
| 1 (G) | 6 | 4 | D♭ (♭7) |
E♭7/D♭ inversion
E♭ 7th is played at the 8th fret as 9 10 8 8: ring finger on the E string at fret 9, pinky finger on the A string at fret 10, index finger on the D string at fret 8 and middle finger on the G string at fret 8.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 9 | 3 | D♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (A) | 10 | 4 | G (3) |
| 2 (D) | 8 | 1 | B♭ (5) |
| 1 (G) | 8 | 2 | E♭ (1) |
Why it sounds like that
E♭ 7th uses the formula 1, 3, 5, ♭7. The minor 7th interval between E♭ and D♭ gives the chord its dominant quality, and the diminished 5th between G and D♭ adds tension. Compare it with E♭ major, which omits the ♭7.
What goes wrong with E♭ 7th?
- Letting the pinky collapse and buzz the A string at fret 13.
- Allowing the ring finger to touch the D string and mute it.
- Striking the open E string instead of fretting it at the 11th fret.
When to use it
E♭ 7th is the V chord in A♭ major, so it appears in progressions like A♭–D♭–E♭–A♭ (I–IV–V–I). Its dominant pull suits blues, jazz, and rock bass lines that resolve to A♭.
Changing to and from E♭ 7th
- Move to A♭ major by lifting the pinky and shifting the index and middle fingers down one string each.
- Slide the shape down two frets to the 9th fret to play C♯ 7th.
Which voicing to use
The 11th-fret shape has E♭ in the bass and is the most direct voicing. The E♭7/B♭ inversion at the 6th fret puts B♭ in the bass for a smoother transition from A♭ major, while the E♭7/D♭ inversion at the 9th fret leads into A♭ major by step.
Other E♭ chords
Common questions
How is E♭ 7th written?
E♭ 7th is written as E♭7, or Eb7 in ASCII. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
How does E♭ 7th differ from E♭ major?
E♭ 7th adds a D♭ note, the minor 7th, to the E♭ major triad. That D♭ creates a tritone with G, giving E♭ 7th its dominant tension.
Why is E♭ 7th called a dominant 7th chord?
E♭ 7th is built on the fifth degree of A♭ major, where it functions as the dominant. The name comes from that dominant function, not from the chord's internal intervals.