What notes are in an E♭maj7 chord?

E♭maj7 contains four notes: E♭ (root), G (major third), B♭ (perfect fifth), and D (major seventh).

How is E♭maj7 different from E♭7?

Only the seventh changes. E♭maj7 has D natural; E♭7 has D♭. The half-step shift turns a stable, dreamy chord into a tense, dominant one that wants to resolve to A♭.

What jazz standards use E♭maj7?

"Misty" (in E♭), "Stella by Starlight" (which modulates through E♭), "There Will Never Be Another You," and many other jazz tunes. The horn-friendly key makes it especially common in big-band arrangements.

How do you play E♭maj7 on piano?

Place your thumb on E♭, index finger on G, middle finger on B♭, and pinky on D. The chord falls comfortably under the hand once memorised.

Eb major 7 chord — notes, intervals, and practice

E♭ major 7 (E♭maj7) — E♭, G, B♭, D — is E♭ major with a major 7th on top. The chord is fundamental to big-band and jazz writing because so many wind instruments transpose to E♭. The Duke Ellington Orchestra played E♭maj7 voicings constantly; Bill Evans built ballads around the chord.

Intervals

The Eb major 7 chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:

Eb→Gmajor 3rd4 semitones
G→Bbminor 3rd3 semitones
Bb→Dmajor 3rd4 semitones

On the keyboard

Each note of the Eb major 7 chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.

On the guitar

One voicing of the Eb major 7 chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.

Common mistakes

The 7th of E♭maj7 is D natural — a half-step higher than E♭7 (which has D♭). Reading D as D♭ produces a dominant 7th with a totally different harmonic function. On piano, the chord falls under the hand as black-white-black-white starting from E♭. On guitar, the 6th-fret A-shape barre with the 7th replacing the octave is the most common voicing.

In context

E♭maj7 is the I chord in E♭ major. The ii–V–I runs Fm7 → B♭7 → E♭maj7 — the cadence in every E♭-major jazz standard from "Stella by Starlight" to "Misty." The chord also functions as the IV of B♭ major and the bVI of G minor.

Drill it

The Eb major 7 chord is one of 48 in the Chord Trainer. Open the full trainer to practice it alongside related chords with timing and best-time tracking.

Open the Chord Trainer →Or try today's Etudle puzzle

Frequently asked

What notes are in an E♭maj7 chord?: E♭maj7 contains four notes: E♭ (root), G (major third), B♭ (perfect fifth), and D (major seventh).
How is E♭maj7 different from E♭7?: Only the seventh changes. E♭maj7 has D natural; E♭7 has D♭. The half-step shift turns a stable, dreamy chord into a tense, dominant one that wants to resolve to A♭.
What jazz standards use E♭maj7?: "Misty" (in E♭), "Stella by Starlight" (which modulates through E♭), "There Will Never Be Another You," and many other jazz tunes. The horn-friendly key makes it especially common in big-band arrangements.
How do you play E♭maj7 on piano?: Place your thumb on E♭, index finger on G, middle finger on B♭, and pinky on D. The chord falls comfortably under the hand once memorised.