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E♭ minor chord on guitar (E♭m)
Also called or written E♭m or E♭min
E♭ minor contains E♭, G♭, and B♭, built from 1, ♭3, 5. The 6th fret barre shape is a common choice for jazz and R&B rhythm parts.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, 5
- Root positionE♭–G♭–B♭E♭m×-6-8-8-7-6
- First inversionG♭–B♭–E♭E♭m/G♭2-1-1-3-×-×
- Second inversionB♭–E♭–G♭E♭m/B♭6-6-8-8-7-6
How do you play an E♭ minor chord on guitar?
E♭ minor is played at the 6th fret as × 6 8 8 7 6: barre your index finger across fret 6, ring finger on the D string at fret 8, pinky finger on the G string at fret 8 and middle finger on the B string at fret 7. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 8 | 3 | B♭ (5) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 4 | E♭ (1) |
| 2 (B) | 7 | 2 | G♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 6 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
IntermediateThe hardest part is holding the index barre across the A and high E strings while the middle, ring, and pinky fingers fret three separate notes.
11th fret
E♭ minor is played at the 11th fret as 11 13 13 11 11 11: barre your index finger across fret 11, ring finger on the A string at fret 13 and pinky finger on the D string at fret 13.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 13 | 3 | B♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 13 | 4 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 11 | 1 (barre) | G♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 11 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
E♭min/G♭ inversion · fret 1
E♭ minor is played at the 1st fret as 2 1 1 3 × ×: ring finger on the low E string at fret 2, index finger on the A string at fret 1, middle finger on the D string at fret 1 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 3. The B and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 2 | 3 | G♭ (♭3) |
| 5 (A) | 1 | 1 | B♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 2 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 4 | B♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
E♭min/G♭ inversion · fret 2
E♭ minor is played at the 2nd fret as × × 4 3 4 2: ring finger on the D string at fret 4, middle finger on the G string at fret 3, pinky finger on the B string at fret 4 and index finger on the high e string at fret 2. 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) | 4 | 3 | G♭ (♭3) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 2 | B♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 4 | E♭ (1) |
| 1 (e) | 2 | 1 | G♭ (♭3) |
E♭min/G♭ inversion · fret 7
E♭ minor is played at the 7th fret as × 9 8 8 7 ×: pinky finger on the A string at fret 9, middle finger on the D string at fret 8, ring finger on the G string at fret 8 and index finger on the B string at fret 7. The low E and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 9 | 4 | G♭ (♭3) |
| 4 (D) | 8 | 2 | B♭ (5) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 3 | E♭ (1) |
| 2 (B) | 7 | 1 | G♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
Why it sounds like that
E♭ minor is built from the root E♭, a minor third G♭, and a perfect fifth B♭. The ♭3 interval is what separates it from E♭ major, which raises that note to G. This single semitone change turns the chord from bright to dark.
What goes wrong with E♭ minor?
- Letting the index barre lift off the high E string, which mutes the top note.
- Strumming the low E string, which is not a chord tone and sounds dissonant.
- Allowing the ring and pinky fingers to collapse and mute the adjacent strings.
When to use it
E♭ minor suits jazz, R&B, and any progression that needs a dark, brooding color. Pair it with F♯ major and B major for the I–vi–IV–V loop.
Changing to and from E♭ minor
- Slide the shape up one fret to the 7th fret to play E minor.
- Move to F minor by shifting the barre to the 1st fret and changing the fretted notes to 3-3-1-1-1.
Which voicing to use
The 6th fret barre shape gives the root E♭ in the bass and is the standard voicing. The 11th fret barre repeats the same shape an octave higher, while the E♭min/F♯ inversion puts G♭ in the bass for a less stable sound.
Other E♭ chords
Common questions
How is E♭ minor written?
E♭ minor is written E♭m, E♭min, E♭−, or E♭mi. The ASCII root is Eb. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between E♭ minor and E♭ major?
E♭ minor lowers the third from G to G♭. That single note changes the chord from major to minor and gives it a sadder quality.
Why is the low E string muted in the E♭ minor shape?
The low E is not a chord tone, so muting it prevents a dissonant note from ringing. It also keeps the bass note as E♭.
Can E♭ minor be played without a barre?
Yes, the E♭min/F♯ inversion at the 2nd fret uses no barre. But it puts G♭ in the bass and is less common as a root-position chord.