How to Play Ebm Piano Chord
The Ebm piano chord is not a chord you come across everyday. So when you do see this chord, it can stop you in your tracks. And send you to the internet to look up the notes!
The notes of Ebm are Eb, Gb and Bb. If you look a little further on, you'll see where to play this chord on the piano keyboard.
You'll also learn:
- Ebm piano chord finger positions
- Ebm/Gb chord
- Ebm add 6 on piano
- piano inversions for E flat minor chord
- and a little bit of theory you need to know about this chord
Ebm Piano Chord Notes
The notes of the Ebm piano chord are Eb, Gb, Bb.
The Eb minor chord is entirely on black notes and every note is flat.
You can find Eb by playing the black note that comes directly before E. Gb and Bb are the edges of the group of 3 black notes.
Ebm Piano Finger Positions
You can play the Ebm chord with the same fingers you play every other chord. I always recommend using piano fingers 1, 3 and 5.
That means the Ebm piano finger positions are: thumb, middle finger and pinkie.
Ebm/Gb Piano Chord
Ebm/Gb is a slash chord and when you see this, it means you need to play whatever comes after the slash in your left hand as the lowest note.
So in the case of Eb/Gb, Gb is your bass note. The lowest note in your left hand. The rest of the notes of the chord come above that in either the left hand or the right hand.
Ebm Add 6 on Piano
One of the chords I've found people get stuck on is the Ebm add 6 chord. It must be from a popular song as it's definitely a bit obscure. Here are the notes I suggest for this chord:
The Ebm add 6 chord is: Eb, Gb, Bb, Cb
When you see a chord like this, the first thing you play is the Ebm chord. Then you need to count up 6, within the key signature.
The key of Eb minor (and Gb major) has 6 flats, including Cb, so that's why we add that one on.
I should note here that chords like this are sometimes not an exact science. And they can depend on the writers level of knowledge.
If you are playing a song in the key of Db, there's a good chance that the notes of this chord are Eb, Gb, Bb, C.
So what do you do?
If you are playing in the key of Eb minor or Gb major:
Ebm add 6: Eb, Gb, Bb, Cb
If you are playing in the key of Db major Bb minor:
Ebm add 6: Eb, Gb, Bb, C
And ... play what sounds right. Are you generally playing Cb or C with the other chords? Whichever note it is, try that with this Ebm add 6 chord.
Ebm Piano Chord Inversions
If you'd like a challenge and are pretty good at other piano chord inversions, the more common ones anyway, you can add the Ebm piano chord inversions to your warm-up routine.
The Ebm piano chord inversions are:
Root position: Eb Gb Bb
First inversion: Gb Bb Eb
Second inversion: Bb Eb Gb
Chord Theory For E Flat Minor Piano Chord
One of the common question people ask about this chord is: is Ebm the same as D#m?
The answer: yes.
Practically, in terms of the keys you are pressing down on the piano, it's the same chord.
However, these chord names are not interchangeable. The chord name you use depends on context - are you playing in sharps or flats? What's the key signature?
If you are playing in the keys of Eb minor, Db major or Gb major, this chord name will have to be Ebm.
If you are playing in the keys of D#m, C# major or F# major, then this chord name will need to be D#m.
Basically, flats go with flats and sharps go with sharps.
If you need more help understanding key signatures, visit the key signatures page.
If you need to look up more chords, visit the Piano Chord Charts page or download your own copy below.
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