Make Eb yours.
Listen, find the notes, then play them back. Your keyboard is the instrument.
Start with Listen, then play the highlighted notes.
⌨ Lower octave: A W S E D F T G Y H U J · Upper: K O L P ; ' ] Z X C V B N. Click inside this studio before using computer keys. On phones, slide the keyboard to reach higher notes. Black keys show both common note names.
Download your current note pattern and tempo, or print a practice sheet.
Take it from notes to music.
Eb major is a three-note chord built from the root Eb, the third G, and the fifth Bb. Its formula is 1 3 5, and its intervals above the root are 0, 4, and 7 semitones. On the browser piano, the highlighted keyboard diagram will show Eb, G, and Bb together, so you can see exactly which keys make up this chord before you play it.
Building the chord from its root
Start with Eb as the root. Count four semitones upward to G, the major third, then three more semitones to Bb, the perfect fifth. Eb and Bb are black keys; G is a white key. Changing their names does not change those physical positions. The browser keyboard shows Eb alongside D-sharp and Bb alongside A-sharp, but this major triad is spelled Eb, G, Bb. Those letter names identify the root, third and fifth clearly.
Hearing the major quality
Compare Eb major with Eb minor while holding Eb and Bb fixed. The third changes from G to Gb, one semitone lower. The comparison section on this page highlights that change and lets you hear both full chords. In the studio, use Listen & repeat for a different skill: remembering a short sequence drawn from the chord tones. It measures the notes you choose and their order; it does not listen to your singing or assess timing.
Placing Eb major in a key
Eb major is the tonic chord in the key of Eb major. Its IV and V chords are Ab major and Bb major. The four-chord exercise below makes that connection audible: Eb, Ab, Bb, then Eb again. Listen once with the wider right-hand setting, then choose the seven-semitone setting and compare the shapes. A smaller written span describes the distance between notes, not a prescribed fingering or a promise that every hand will find it comfortable.
Play Eb major clearly, both as a block chord and as a slow arpeggio, and confirm each note by name using the highlighted keyboard diagram.
- Open the highlighted keyboard diagram and locate Eb, G, and Bb, reading each name aloud as you find it.
- Use guided note-by-note practice to play Eb, then G, then Bb, one at a time, and say each name before pressing the next key.
- Use the Hear the chord button above the studio to hear Eb, G and Bb together. Browser tones decay automatically; holding a computer key does not sustain them.
- In guided mode, play Eb4, G4 and Bb4 with the computer shortcuts E, G and U. Turn off Guide lights and repeat.
- Choose Listen & repeat and copy a three-note phrase. Slow its playback if needed, retry it, then save its MIDI for another session.
A common wrong turn
Playing Gb instead of G lowers the third by one semitone and changes the triad to Eb minor. The two chords share Eb and Bb, so checking only the outer notes will miss this change.
Try this instead: Count the distance from Eb to G as four semitones, the major third. Check the highlighted diagram to confirm G is the note you pressed, then play the chord again to hear the clear major sound.
What are the three notes of Eb major, and what are their intervals above the root?Check your answer +
The three notes are Eb, G, and Bb. Their intervals above the root Eb are 0 semitones for Eb, 4 semitones for G (the major third), and 7 semitones for Bb (the perfect fifth).
AI-assisted lesson · notes and formula checked against this reference. How our material is made · Report a correction
Four chords. Less jumping.
Try I → IV → V → I in E♭ major. Play the bass with your left hand and the three upper notes with your right. The upper voicings are chosen to keep movement small.
E♭ major
LH E♭
RH E♭ · G · B♭
A♭ major
LH A♭
RH E♭ · A♭ · C
B♭ major
LH B♭
RH D · F · B♭
E♭ major
LH E♭
RH E♭ · G · B♭
Spread limits describe distances between notes, not a recommended fingering or a guarantee of comfort. Use one note at a time if needed.
What notes make up E♭ major?
E♭ major contains E♭, G, B♭. Its interval formula is 1 3 5. The numbers describe degrees relative to E♭; a flat lowers a degree by one semitone and a sharp raises it by one semitone.
| Degree | Note | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | E♭ | 0 |
| 3 | G | 4 |
| 5 | B♭ | 7 |
Spelling follows the interval formula. Double accidentals can be correct; a different-looking key name may sound at the same pitch.
A useful way to practice it
Build a tonic chord, then move to the fourth and fifth degrees of a major key.
- Find E♭ first. Say the remaining notes aloud: G, B♭.
- Play each note separately, then sound the full chord. Check the 3 highlighted keys against the diagram.
- Compare the voicings below. Listen for the bass changing while the pitch classes remain the same.
- Download the MIDI to loop the example, or print the PDF and mark your own comfortable fingering.
Extended chords can span a wide range. Share the notes between both hands, roll the chord, or study one voice at a time; the diagrams do not prescribe a hand stretch.
E♭ major or E♭ minor?
Keep the root E♭ fixed. Only the third changes between these triads. Compare G ↔ G♭, then listen to each version.
Positions & voicings
Each diagram keeps the same chord tones while changing which note is lowest or moving the shape into another register. For extended chords, these are complete reference voicings rather than a compact accompaniment prescription.
Root position · middle register
Root position · upper register
Inversion 1 · middle register
Inversion 1 · upper register
Inversion 2 · middle register
Inversion 2 · upper register
Using the files
The PDF includes every displayed position. SVG diagrams stay sharp when resized, and MIDI files contain the reference notes rather than a recording. Playback uses a simple synthesized tone; your MIDI app can use a different piano sound.
These diagrams are generated from the interval formula shown above. Read how our references are made →
Published · Original Artistry Piano reference · Report a correction