C♭ Major Chord on Piano: Notes, Fingering & Inversions

Root position: either hand, fingers low note to high
Hand	Notes	Fingers
Right	C♭, E♭, G♭	1-3-5
Left	C♭, E♭, G♭	5-3-1

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

Construction

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

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

Fingering

Note	Key color	Right hand	Left hand
C♭	white	thumb (1)	little finger (5)
E♭	black	middle finger (3)	middle finger (3)
G♭	black	little finger (5)	thumb (1)

Right hand: thumb (1) on C♭, middle finger (3) on E♭, little finger (5) on G♭.

Left hand: little finger (5) on C♭, middle finger (3) on E♭, thumb (1) on G♭.

C♭ Major Inversions

Root position
C♭ – E♭ – G♭
1st inversion (C♭/E♭)
E♭ – G♭ – C♭
2nd inversion (C♭/G♭)
G♭ – C♭ – E♭

Key Signature

A chord has no key signature of its own, but the C♭ Major is the tonic (I) chord of C♭ Major, whose key signature has 7 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, F♭).

B♭E♭A♭D♭G♭C♭F♭

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 C♭ Major

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

I — C♭ Major (major)

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

How C♭ Major functions in a key

The same chord takes on a different harmonic role depending on the key it appears in. Here is where C♭ Major sits diatonically across the common keys:

In C♭ major, C♭ Major is the I chord — the tonic.
In E♭ minor, C♭ Major is the VI chord — the tonic.
In G♭ major, C♭ Major is the IV chord — a predominant.
In A♭ minor, C♭ Major is the III chord — a mediant / color chord.

Scales That Include the C♭ Major

E Major (V)
B Major (I)
F# Major (IV)
C# Minor (VII)
G# Minor (III)
Eb Minor (VI)
F# Dorian (IV)
G# Phrygian (III)

C♭ Major : Frequently Asked Questions

What notes are in C♭?

C♭ contains C♭, E♭ and G♭. The formula is 1, 3, 5.

How do you play C♭ on piano?

Play C♭, E♭ and G♭ together. Right hand fingers 1, 3, 5; left hand 5, 3, 1. E♭ and G♭ are black keys; C♭ is white.

What are the inversions of C♭?

3 positions: root position C♭ E♭ G♭, C♭/E♭, C♭/G♭.

What keys contain C♭?

6: ♭VII in C♯ minor, ♭VI in E♭ minor, V in E major, IV in G♭ major, ♭III in G♯ minor, I in B major.

What is the difference between C♭ and C♭maj7?

Adds B♭. 3 of the notes are shared.

What is an easy C♭ for small hands?

The root and third only voicing, C♭3 E♭4, spans 4 semitones or about 55 mm.

What are the frequencies of C♭?

From C♭3 at A440 in 12-TET: 246.94, 311.13, 369.99 Hz.

What is the set class of C♭?

Prime form (037), Forte 3-11, interval vector <001110>.

How do I transpose C♭ to another key?

Keep the 1, 3, 5 formula on the new root. C is C, E, G; C♯ is C♯, E♯, G♯.

Is B the same as C♭?

Enharmonically yes: the same piano keys and the same sound, spelled differently.

C♭ Major 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	C♭3 E♭4 G♭4	7	96 mm	none	identical
Close, first inversion	E♭4 G♭4 C♭4	8	110 mm	none	identical
Close, second inversion	G♭4 C♭4 E♭5	9	124 mm	none	identical
Open, fifth on top	C♭2 G♭3 E♭4	16	220 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	Fit
Root and third only	C♭3 E♭4	4	55 mm	omits G♭	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	C♭	C♭3, E♭4, G♭4	5/3	7	96 mm
First inversion: C♭/E♭	E♭	E♭4, G♭4, C♭4	6/3	8	110 mm
Second inversion: C♭/G♭	G♭	G♭4, C♭4, E♭5	6/4	9	124 mm

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

Progression	Key	Role	Sequence	Voice leading
♭VII, i	C♯ minor	♭VII	B to C♯m	C♭ opens the phrase
♭VI, iv, i, v	E♭ minor	♭VI	C♭ to A♭m to E♭m to B♭m	C♭ opens the phrase
i, ♭VI	E♭ minor	♭VI	E♭m to C♭	2 tones held from E♭m
V, I	E major	V	B to E	C♭ opens the phrase
ii, V, I	E major	V	F♯m to B to E	1 tone held from F♯m
IV, V, I	G♭ major	IV	C♭ to D♭ to G♭	C♭ opens the phrase
I, IV	G♭ major	IV	G♭ to C♭	1 tone held from G♭

Root motion, common tones and voice displacement are computed from pitch class sets. Roman numerals follow common practice functional harmony.

Which keys it belongs to

Key	Roman numeral	Function
C♯ minor	♭VII	Subtonic
E♭ minor	♭VI	Pre-dominant color
E major	V	Dominant, wants to resolve
G♭ major	IV	Subdominant, away from home
G♯ minor	♭III	Relative-major color
B major	I	Tonic, home

Classification system: common-practice functional harmony.

Change one note

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

Chord	Change	Formula	Common tones
C♭maj7	adds B♭	1 3 5 7	3
C♭7	adds B♭♭	1 3 5 ♭7	3
C♭6	adds A♭	1 3 5 6	3
C♭add9	adds D♭	1 3 5 9	3
C♭m	E♭ becomes E♭♭	1 ♭3 5	2
C♭aug	G♭ becomes G	1 3 ♯5	2
C♭sus2	E♭ becomes D♭	1 2 5	2
C♭sus4	E♭ becomes F♭	1 4 5	2
C♭m7	E♭ becomes E♭♭, B♭♭	1 ♭3 5 ♭7	2
C♭mMaj7	E♭ becomes E♭♭, B♭	1 ♭3 5 7	2
C♭aug7	G♭ becomes G, B♭♭	1 3 ♯5 ♭7	2
C♭7sus4	E♭ becomes F♭, B♭♭	1 4 5 ♭7	2

Frequencies

Note	MIDI	Frequency
C♭3	59	246.94 Hz
E♭4	63	311.13 Hz
G♭4	66	369.99 Hz

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

Set theory: prime form, Forte number, interval vector

Absolute pitch class set: {11, 3, 6}
Normal order: [11, 3, 6]
Prime form: (037)
Forte number: 3-11
Interval vector: <001110>

Pair	Interval	Semitones	Interval class
C♭ to E♭	Major third	4	4
C♭ to G♭	Perfect fifth	7	5
E♭ to G♭	Minor third	3	3

Where these facts come from

Every value on this page is derived from the note formula for a major applied to the root C♭, 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.

C♭ Major

Fingerings

C♭ Major: notes and degrees