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E♭ 7th sharp 5 chord on guitar (E♭7♯5)
Also called or written E♭7♯5, E♭ or E♭ Dominant 7th ♯5
E♭ 7th sharp 5 contains E♭, G, B, and D♭. The default voicing skips the 2nd string and stretches the pinky to fret 7, requiring careful finger placement.
How it is built
Formula 1, 3, ♯5, ♭7
- Root positionE♭–G–B–D♭E♭7♯5×-6-5-6-×-7
- First inversionG–B–D♭–E♭E♭7♯5/G3-2-1-0-2-×
- Second inversionB–D♭–E♭–GE♭7♯5/B×-2-1-0-2-3
- Third inversionD♭–E♭–G–BE♭7♯5/D♭×-4-5-4-4-×
How do you play an E♭ 7th sharp 5 chord on guitar?
E♭ 7th sharp 5 is played at the 5th fret as × 6 5 6 × 7: middle finger on the A string at fret 6, index finger on the D string at fret 5, ring finger on the G string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 7. The low E and B strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 2 | E♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 5 | 1 | G (3) |
| 3 (G) | 6 | 3 | D♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | 7 | 4 | B (♯5) |
AdvancedThe pinky must reach fret 7 on the 1st string while the ring finger holds fret 6 on the 3rd string, requiring a wide stretch.
9th fret
E♭ 7th sharp 5 is played at the 9th fret as 11 10 9 × × 9: pinky finger on the low E string at fret 11, ring finger on the A string at fret 10, index finger on the D string at fret 9 and middle finger on the high e string at fret 9. The G and B strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11 | 4 | E♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 10 | 3 | G (3) |
| 4 (D) | 9 | 1 | B (♯5) |
| 3 (G) | muted | — | — |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | 9 | 2 | D♭ (♭7) |
11th fret
E♭ 7th sharp 5 is played at the 11th fret as 11 × 11 12 12 11: barre your index finger across fret 11, ring finger on the G string at fret 12 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 12. The A string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 11 | 1 (barre) | D♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 12 | 3 | G (3) |
| 2 (B) | 12 | 4 | B (♯5) |
| 1 (e) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
E♭7♯5/G inversion · open position
E♭ 7th sharp 5 is played in open position as 3 2 1 0 2 ×: pinky finger on the low E string at fret 3, middle finger on the A string at fret 2, index finger on the D string at fret 1 and ring finger on the B string at fret 2. The G string rings open. The high e string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3 | 4 | G (3) |
| 5 (A) | 2 | 2 | B (♯5) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | open | — | G (3) |
| 2 (B) | 2 | 3 | D♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
E♭7♯5/G inversion · fret 8
E♭ 7th sharp 5 is played at the 8th fret as × 10 9 8 8 9: barre your index finger across fret 8, pinky finger on the A string at fret 10, middle finger on the D string at fret 9 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 9. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 10 | 4 | G (3) |
| 4 (D) | 9 | 2 | B (♯5) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 2 (B) | 8 | 1 (barre) | G (3) |
| 1 (e) | 9 | 3 | D♭ (♭7) |
Why it sounds like that
E♭ 7th sharp 5 is built from the formula 1, 3, ♯5, ♭7. The augmented 5th between E♭ and B gives the chord its distinctive tension. Compare it with E♭ 7th, which has a perfect 5th.
What goes wrong with E♭ 7th sharp 5?
- Letting the pinky collapse and mute the 2nd string.
- Strumming the 6th string, which is not part of the chord.
- Fretting the 2nd string accidentally with the ring finger.
When to use it
Use the supplied linked chords to hear its tension without adding unsupported harmony. Its dark, tense sound fits jazz ballads and blues. Compare it with E♭ major to hear the difference between the sharp 5 and the perfect 5.
Changing to and from E♭ 7th sharp 5
- Sliding the shape down one fret to the 4th fret gives D 7th sharp 5.
- Move the pinky from fret 7 to fret 8 on the 1st string to reach E 7th sharp 5.
Which voicing to use
The 5th fret voicing keeps E♭ in the bass, while the E♭7♯5/G inversion puts G in the bass for a warmer, less rooted sound. The 11th fret voicing offers a higher register with E♭ still in the bass.
Other E♭ chords
Common questions
How is E♭ 7th sharp 5 written?
E♭ 7th sharp 5 is written as E♭7♯5 or E♭. The ASCII root is Eb. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between E♭ 7th sharp 5 and E♭ augmented?
E♭ augmented has no 7th, so it contains only E♭, G, and B. E♭ 7th sharp 5 adds the minor 7th D♭, creating a dominant sound.
Why does E♭ 7th sharp 5 sound unstable?
The augmented 5th interval between E♭ and B is dissonant. The tritone between G and D♭ adds further tension.
Can E♭ 7th sharp 5 be played in open position?
No, E♭ 7th sharp 5 has no open-string voicing. The lowest position is the 5th fret shape shown here.