Sevenths
E♭ minor 7th chord
Smooth and soulful; a staple of jazz, R&B and funk.
E♭m7 is the ii7 chord in D♭ major, iii7 in B major and vi7 in F♯ major. In minor keys: i7 in E♭ minor and iv7 in B♭ minor.
- Notes
- E♭G♭B♭D♭
- Formula
- 1♭35♭7
- Built from
- root · minor 3rd · perfect 5th · minor 7th
How to play E♭m7
About the E♭ minor 7th chord
E♭m7 (also written D♯m7) is the ii7 of D♭ major and a staple of jazz and neo-soul in flat keys.
Playing it
On guitar, the usual E♭m7 shape is xx1322 at the 1st fret. It has no open strings, so it’s a movable shape — slide it along the neck for other minor 7th chords. Don’t strum the low E and A strings.
On piano, every note of E♭m7 is a black key.
On ukulele the usual E♭m7 shape is 6666, with the index finger barring all four strings at the 6th fret.
Related chords
Take away the root and the other three notes form G♭ (G♭ B♭ D♭) — so you can think of E♭m7 as G♭ with E♭ added underneath.
E♭m7 contains exactly the same notes as F♯6. Which name fits depends on which note is in the bass and what key you’re in.
Move a single note and E♭m7 becomes a different chord: drop the D♭ for E♭m, raise G♭ to G for E♭7, lower D♭ to C for E♭m6 and swap G♭ for A♭ for E♭7sus4.
Where you’ll hear it
You’ll find E♭m7 in common progressions such as D♯m7–G♯7–C♯maj7 (the jazz cadence in C♯ major).
