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E♭ minor major 7th chord on guitar (E♭mMaj7)
Also called or written E♭mMaj7, E♭minmaj7, E♭mmaj7, E♭mM7, E♭ Minor Sharp 7 or E♭ Minor ♯7
E♭ minor major 7th is built from E♭, G♭, B♭, and D. The 1st fret voicing uses only four strings, making it a compact but stretchy shape.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, 5, 7
- Root positionE♭–G♭–B♭–DE♭mMaj7×-×-1-3-3-2
- First inversionG♭–B♭–D–E♭E♭mMaj7/G♭2-1-1-3-3-×
- Second inversionB♭–D–E♭–G♭E♭mMaj7/B♭×-1-1-3-3-2
- Third inversionD–E♭–G♭–B♭E♭mMaj7/D×-5-4-3-4-×
How do you play an E♭ minor major 7th chord on guitar?
E♭ minor major 7th is played at the 1st fret as × × 1 3 3 2: index finger on the D string at fret 1, ring finger on the G string at fret 3, pinky finger on the B string at fret 3 and middle 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) | 1 | 1 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 3 | B♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 3 | 4 | D (7) |
| 1 (e) | 2 | 2 | G♭ (♭3) |
AdvancedThe stretch between the index finger on the 1st fret and the ring and pinky on the 3rd fret is demanding for smaller hands.
6th fret
E♭ minor major 7th is played at the 6th fret as × 6 8 7 7 6: barre your index finger across fret 6, pinky finger on the D string at fret 8, middle finger on the G string at fret 7 and ring 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 | 4 | B♭ (5) |
| 3 (G) | 7 | 2 | D (7) |
| 2 (B) | 7 | 3 | G♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 6 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
11th fret
E♭ minor major 7th is played at the 11th fret as 11 13 12 11 11 11: barre your index finger across fret 11, pinky finger on the A string at fret 13 and ring finger on the D string at fret 12.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 13 | 4 | B♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 12 | 3 | D (7) |
| 3 (G) | 11 | 1 (barre) | G♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 11 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
13th fret
E♭ minor major 7th is played at the 13th fret as × × 13 15 15 14: index finger on the D string at fret 13, ring finger on the G string at fret 15, pinky finger on the B string at fret 15 and middle finger on the high e string at fret 14. 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) | 15 | 3 | B♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 15 | 4 | D (7) |
| 1 (e) | 14 | 2 | G♭ (♭3) |
E♭minmaj7/G♭ inversion
E♭ minor major 7th is played at the 1st fret as 2 1 1 3 3 ×: barre your index finger across fret 1, middle finger on the low E string at fret 2, ring finger on the G string at fret 3 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 3. The high e string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 2 | 2 | G♭ (♭3) |
| 5 (A) | 1 | 1 (barre) | B♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 3 | B♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 3 | 4 | D (7) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
Why it sounds like that
E♭ minor major 7th stacks a minor triad (1, ♭3, 5) with a major seventh (7), giving the formula 1, ♭3, 5, 7. The major seventh D is what gives this chord its distinctive tension. Compare it to E♭ minor, which lacks that seventh and sounds more stable.
What goes wrong with E♭ minor major 7th?
- Letting the low E or A string ring, which are not chord tones.
- Flattening the ring finger onto the B string, deadening it.
- Pressing the middle finger against the G string, stopping it from ringing.
When to use it
E♭ minor major 7th often appears as a tonic in E♭ minor, moving to E♭ minor or E♭ suspended 4th. It suits dark jazz, spy themes, and dramatic ballads.
Changing to and from E♭ minor major 7th
- Sliding the shape up one fret to the 2nd fret gives E minor major 7th.
Which voicing to use
The 1st fret voicing is the easiest and has E♭ in the bass. The 11th fret barre voicing offers a fuller sound with the root on the low E string. The 13th fret voicing omits the low strings for a brighter, higher-register tone.
Other E♭ chords
Common questions
How is E♭ minor major 7th written?
E♭ minor major 7th is written E♭mmaj7, E♭minmaj7, or E♭mM7. The ASCII root is Eb. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
Why does the 1st fret voicing mute the A string?
The open A is not a chord tone, so it must be muted to avoid dissonance. Muting it keeps the bass note as E♭.
How does E♭ minor major 7th differ from E♭ minor 7th?
The displayed shape preserves only the supplied notes and interval formula. The major seventh creates a sharper, more leading-tone pull.
What scale does E♭ minor major 7th come from?
E♭ minor major 7th appears in E♭ harmonic minor and E♭ melodic minor scales. The raised seventh degree of those scales is the D in this chord.