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Guitar scale · Ionian mode

Eb Major Scale

Bright, balanced major scale forming the foundation of Western music and pop/rock.

Notes EbFGAbBbCD
Formula 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Steps W W H W W W H
Mood Bright, Joyful, Balanced
Heard in Pop, Rock, Classical Foundation

Interactive scale diagram

Eb Major Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

Eb Major Scale tab: all 5 positions

Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.

Position 1 · E shape frets 11–15
e|-------------------------------------------11-13-15-|
B|-------------------------------------13-15----------|
G|----------------------------12-13-15----------------|
D|-------------------12-13-15-------------------------|
A|----------11-13-15----------------------------------|
E|-11-13-15-------------------------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 13–17
e|-------------------------------------------13-15-16-|
B|-------------------------------------15-16----------|
G|----------------------------13-15-17----------------|
D|-------------------13-15-17-------------------------|
A|----------13-15-17----------------------------------|
E|-13-15-16-------------------------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 15–19
e|-------------------------------------------15-16-18-|
B|-------------------------------------16-18----------|
G|----------------------------15-17-19----------------|
D|-------------------15-17-18-------------------------|
A|----------15-17-18----------------------------------|
E|-15-16-18-------------------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 18–22
e|-------------------------------------------18-20-22-|
B|-------------------------------------20-21----------|
G|----------------------------19-20-22----------------|
D|-------------------18-20-22-------------------------|
A|----------18-20-22----------------------------------|
E|-18-20-22-------------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 20–22
e|-------------------------------20-22-|
B|-------------------------20-21-------|
G|-------------------20-22-------------|
D|-------------20-22-------------------|
A|-------20-22-------------------------|
E|-20-22-------------------------------|

How to play Eb Major on guitar

Find the root first: Eb is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Eb on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, 5, 7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.

Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 11–15. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.

Eb major shares all its notes with C minor, its relative minor. See the C Minor Scale.

Degrees

DegreeNote
1 Eb
2 F
3 G
4 Ab
5 Bb
6 C
7 D

Chords in Eb Major

Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Eb Major; tap one to see its shapes.

Degree Chord 7th chord Function
I Eb Ebmaj7 Tonic
ii Fm Fm7 Supertonic
iii Gm Gm7 Mediant
IV Ab Abmaj7 Subdominant
V Bb Bb7 Dominant
vi Cm Cm7 Submediant
vii° Ddim Dm7b5 Leading tone / subtonic

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Questions

What notes are in the Eb Major Scale?
The Eb Major Scale has 7 notes: Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C, D.
What chords are in the Eb Major Scale?
The chords of Eb Major are Eb (I), Fm (ii), Gm (iii), Ab (IV), Bb (V), Cm (vi), Ddim (vii°).
What is the formula of the major scale?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7, which is the step pattern W W H W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play Eb Major on the guitar?
The root Eb is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 11–15, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Major Scale in every key

More scales in Eb