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E♭ 7th flat 5 chord on guitar (E♭7♭5)
Also called or written E♭7♭5, E♭, E♭ Dominant 7th Flat 5 or E♭ 7th ♭5
E♭ 7th flat 5 contains E♭, G, B♭♭, and D♭. This advanced voicing at the 1st fret uses four fingers across three strings.
How it is built
Formula 1, 3, ♭5, ♭7
- Root positionE♭–G–B♭♭–D♭E♭7♭5×-×-1-2-2-3
- First inversionG–B♭♭–D♭–E♭E♭7♭5/G3-0-1-0-2-3
- Second inversionB♭♭–D♭–E♭–GE♭7♭5/B♭♭×-0-1-0-2-3
- Third inversionD♭–E♭–G–B♭♭E♭7♭5/D♭×-4-5-6-4-5
How do you play an E♭ 7th flat 5 chord on guitar?
E♭ 7th flat 5 is played at the 1st fret as × × 1 2 2 3: index finger on the D string at fret 1, middle finger on the G string at fret 2, ring finger on the B string at fret 2 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 3. The low E and A strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 2 | 2 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (B) | 2 | 3 | D♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 4 | G (3) |
AdvancedThe hardest part is muting both the low E and A strings while fretting the D, G, B, and high e strings cleanly.
6th fret
E♭ 7th flat 5 is played at the 6th fret as × 6 7 6 8 ×: index finger on the A string at fret 6, ring finger on the D string at fret 7, middle finger on the G string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 8. The low E and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 1 | E♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 7 | 3 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 3 (G) | 6 | 2 | D♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 8 | 4 | G (3) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
10th fret
E♭ 7th flat 5 is played at the 10th fret as 11 10 11 12 10 ×: barre your index finger across fret 10, middle finger on the low E string at fret 11, ring finger on the D string at fret 11 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 12. The high e string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11 | 2 | E♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 10 | 1 (barre) | G (3) |
| 4 (D) | 11 | 3 | D♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 12 | 4 | G (3) |
| 2 (B) | 10 | 1 (barre) | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
11th fret
E♭ 7th flat 5 is played at the 11th fret as 11 12 11 12 × ×: index finger on the low E string at fret 11, ring finger on the A string at fret 12, middle finger on the D string at fret 11 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 12. The B and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11 | 1 | E♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 12 | 3 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 4 (D) | 11 | 2 | D♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 12 | 4 | G (3) |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
13th fret
E♭ 7th flat 5 is played at the 13th fret as × × 13 14 14 15: index finger on the D string at fret 13, middle finger on the G string at fret 14, ring finger on the B string at fret 14 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 15. The low E and A strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 13 | 1 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 14 | 2 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (B) | 14 | 3 | D♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 15 | 4 | G (3) |
Why it sounds like that
E♭ 7th flat 5 is built from the formula 1, 3, ♭5, ♭7. The diminished 5th between E♭ and B♭♭ creates the chord's distinctive dissonance. Compare it to E♭ 7th, which has a perfect 5th.
What goes wrong with E♭ 7th flat 5?
- Letting the A string ring out, which adds an unintended note below the E♭ bass.
- Flattening your index finger and deadening the G string next to the D string you are fretting.
When to use it
E♭ 7th flat 5 fits jazz, fusion, and blues progressions that call for an altered dominant. Use it with E♭ major or E♭ 7th for harmonic color.
Changing to and from E♭ 7th flat 5
- From E♭ 7th flat 5, slide the shape up one fret to the 2nd fret to reach E 7th flat 5.
- Move to E♭ 7th by lifting your pinky and placing your ring finger on the 2nd string, 4th fret, while keeping the other fingers in place.
Which voicing to use
The 1st fret position keeps the bass on E♭ at the 1st fret of the D string, giving a focused midrange sound. The 6th fret position moves the bass to the A string at the 6th fret, adding more depth. The 13th fret position starts on the D string at the 13th fret, producing a brighter, higher voicing.
Other E♭ chords
Common questions
How is E♭ 7th flat 5 written?
E♭ 7th flat 5 is written as E♭7♭5 or E♭. The ASCII root is Eb, as in Eb7b5. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
Why does E♭ 7th flat 5 use B♭♭ instead of A?
The ♭5 of E♭ is B♭♭, which is enharmonically equivalent to A. Spelling it as B♭♭ keeps the interval structure clear: a diminished 5th above E♭.
What is the difference between E♭ 7th flat 5 and E♭ 7th?
E♭ 7th flat 5 lowers the 5th from B♭ to B♭♭, creating a diminished 5th interval. E♭ 7th has a perfect 5th, making it sound more consonant.
Can E♭ 7th flat 5 be used in place of E♭ 7th?
Yes, E♭ 7th flat 5 can substitute for E♭ 7th when you want a more altered, tense dominant sound. Its verified note order explains the sound without relying on outside harmony.