E♭6: D♯/E♭ Major 6th Piano Chord

Third inversion: either hand, fingers low note to high
Hand	Notes	Fingers
Right	C, E♭, G, B♭	1-2-3-4
Left	C, E♭, G, B♭	5-4-3-2

Scale degree, note, and interval measured from the root.
Degree	Note	Interval from root	Semitones
1	E♭	Perfect unison	0
3	G	Major third	4
5	B♭	Perfect fifth	7
6	C	Major sixth	9

Construction

E♭ Major 6 = Root + Major 3rd + Perfect 5th + Major 6th = E♭, G, B♭, C

Note	Interval	Degree
E♭	Root	1
G	Major 3rd	3
B♭	Perfect 5th	5
C	Major 6th	6

Fingering

Note	Key color	Right hand	Left hand
E♭	black	index finger (2)	little finger (5)
G	white	middle finger (3)	ring finger (4)
B♭	black	ring finger (4)	middle finger (3)
C	white	little finger (5)	index finger (2)

Right hand: index finger (2) on E♭, middle finger (3) on G, ring finger (4) on B♭, little finger (5) on C.

Left hand: little finger (5) on E♭, ring finger (4) on G, middle finger (3) on B♭, index finger (2) on C.

E♭ Major 6 Inversions

Root position
E♭ – G – B♭ – C
1st inversion (E♭6/G)
G – B♭ – C – E♭
2nd inversion (E♭6/B♭)
B♭ – C – E♭ – G
3rd inversion (E♭6/C)
C – E♭ – G – B♭

Key Signature

A chord has no key signature of its own, but the E♭ Major 6 is the tonic (I) chord of E♭ Major, whose key signature has 3 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭).

B♭E♭A♭

Order of flats

Flats are added in a fixed order — the reverse of the sharp order. Each new flat key adds the next flat on the list.

B♭E♭A♭D♭G♭C♭F♭

Mnemonic: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’ Father

Chords in the Key of E♭ Major

These are the triads built on each degree of E♭ Major:

I — E♭ Major (major)

Degree	Numeral	Chord	Quality
1	I	E♭ Major	Major
2	ii	F Minor	Minor
3	iii	G Minor	Minor
4	IV	A♭ Major	Major
5	V	B♭ Major	Major
6	vi	C Minor	Minor
7	vii°	D Diminished	Diminished

Same Notes, Other Names

The notes E♭ – G – B♭ – C aren’t exclusive to this chord. Depending on which note is the bass and how the chord functions, the same pitches also spell:

C Minor 7th→

E♭ Major 6 : Frequently Asked Questions

What is the E♭ Major 6 chord on piano?

The E♭ Major 6 chord contains the notes E♭ – G – B♭ – C. On piano, play these notes together to sound the chord.

What notes are in the Eb Major 6 chord?

Eb6 contains: Eb, G, Bb, C. Major triad with major sixth.

How does Eb6 differ from Ebmaj7?

Eb6 has C (sixth). Ebmaj7 has D (seventh).

How does Eb6 differ from Cm7?

Same four notes, different root.

How is Eb6 used?

Vintage jazz, swing, big band. Eb is a standard jazz key.

What songs use Major 6th?

Swing era, big band.

Can I substitute Eb6 for Eb Major?

Yes: warmer tonic.

E♭ Major 6th in detail

Exact

Every pitch class is present and nothing outside the chord is added.

Type	Notes	Semitones	Span	Omissions and additions	Set relation
Close, root position	E♭3 G3 B♭3 C4	9	124 mm	none	identical
Close, first inversion	G3 B♭3 C4 E♭4	8	110 mm	none	identical
Close, second inversion	B♭3 C4 E♭4 G4	9	124 mm	none	identical
Close, third inversion	C4 E♭4 G4 B♭4	10	138 mm	none	identical
Drop 2	B♭2 E♭3 G3 C4	14	193 mm	none	identical
Drop 3	G2 E♭3 B♭3 C4	17	234 mm	none	identical
Drop 2 and 4	E♭2 B♭2 G3 C4	21	289 mm	none	identical

Reduced

A subset of the pitch classes: the identity is incomplete rather than altered.

Type	Notes	Semitones	Span	Omissions and additions	Set relation
Shell, root 6 3	E♭2 C3 G3	16	220 mm	omits B♭	subset
Guide tones, 3 and 6	G3 C4	5	69 mm	omits E♭ and B♭	subset
Rootless close	G3 B♭3 C4	5	69 mm	omits E♭	subset

Spans are measured centre to centre at a 165 mm octave (standard keyboard geometry).

Position	Bass note	Notes in order	Figured bass	Semitones	Span
Root position	E♭	E♭3, G3, B♭3, C4	7	9	124 mm
First inversion: E♭6/G	G	G3, B♭3, C4, E♭4	6/5	8	110 mm
Second inversion: E♭6/B♭	B♭	B♭3, C4, E♭4, G4	4/3	9	124 mm
Third inversion: E♭6/C	C	C4, E♭4, G4, B♭4	4/2	10	138 mm

One position per chord tone in the bass. Spans are for close position: voiced inversions appear under Voicings.

Change one note

Chords a single note away, and what moving that note does.

Chord	Change	Formula	Common tones
E♭	drops C	1 3 5	3
E♭maj7	C becomes D	1 3 5 7	3
E♭7	C becomes D♭	1 3 5 ♭7	3
E♭m6	G becomes G♭	1 ♭3 5 6	3
E♭add9	C becomes F	1 3 5 9	3
E♭maj9	C becomes D, F	1 3 5 7 9	3
E♭9	C becomes D♭, F	1 3 5 ♭7 9	3
E♭m	G, C becomes G♭	1 ♭3 5	2
E♭aug	B♭, C becomes B	1 3 ♯5	2
E♭sus2	G, C becomes F	1 2 5	2
E♭sus4	G, C becomes A♭	1 4 5	2
E♭m7	G, C becomes G♭, D♭	1 ♭3 5 ♭7	2

Frequencies

Note	MIDI	Frequency
E♭3	51	155.56 Hz
G3	55	196.00 Hz
B♭3	58	233.08 Hz
C4	60	261.63 Hz

Reference pitch A440, 12-TET, close root position.

Set theory: prime form, Forte number, interval vector

Absolute pitch class set: {3, 7, 10, 0}
Normal order: [7, 10, 0, 3]
Prime form: (0358)
Forte number: 4-26
Interval vector: <012120>

Pair	Interval	Semitones	Interval class
E♭ to G	Major third	4	4
E♭ to B♭	Perfect fifth	7	5
E♭ to C	Major sixth	9	3
G to B♭	Minor third	3	3
G to C	Perfect fourth	5	5
B♭ to C	Major second	2	2

Where these facts come from

Every value on this page is derived from the note formula for a major 6th applied to the root E♭, using standard music theory. Nothing here is hand-entered per chord, so the notes, intervals, inversions and frequencies cannot drift out of agreement with each other. Pitches assume 12-TET at A440.

E♭ Major 6

Fingerings

E♭ Major 6th: notes and degrees