What notes are in an E♭m7 chord?

E♭m7 contains four notes: E♭ (root), G♭ (minor third), B♭ (perfect fifth), and D♭ (minor seventh).

Is E♭m7 the same as D♯m7?

Yes, enharmonically. E♭m7 is the flat-side spelling (used in D♭-major contexts); D♯m7 is the sharp-side spelling. E♭m7 is much more common in published jazz literature.

What jazz standards use E♭m7?

Coltrane's "Naima" (with its D♭-major colour modulations), "Lush Life" by Billy Strayhorn, and many other deeply flat-side ballads. The chord is fundamental to advanced jazz harmony in D♭ / G♭.

How do you play E♭m7 on guitar?

Most commonly a 6th-fret A-shape barre: index across strings 5-1 on fret 6, ring finger on the 8th fret of the 4th string, middle finger on the 6th fret of the 3rd string, pinky on the 7th fret of the 2nd string.

Eb minor 7 chord — notes, intervals, and practice

E♭ minor 7 (E♭m7) — E♭, G♭, B♭, D♭ — is E♭ minor with a minor 7th on top. The chord is the iim7 of D♭ major (the ii–V–I runs E♭m7 → A♭7 → D♭maj7) and a workhorse jazz chord in flat-side keys. Coltrane's "Naima" features E♭m7-related voicings prominently.

Intervals

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

Eb→Gbminor 3rd3 semitones
Gb→Bbmajor 3rd4 semitones
Bb→Dbminor 3rd3 semitones

On the keyboard

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

On the guitar

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

1Eb
♭3Gb
5Bb
♭7Db

Common mistakes

E♭m7 has three flats on top of the E♭ root — every note except the root is flat. The most common error is misreading G♭ as G natural (which would produce E♭maj7's wider third) or D♭ as D natural (which would be E♭m maj7). On guitar, E♭m7 is most often a 6th-fret A-shape barre.

In context

E♭m7 is the iim7 of D♭ major (E♭m7 → A♭7 → D♭maj7) and the vim7 of G♭ major. The chord underlies any D♭-major or G♭-major jazz tune. Coltrane's "Naima" (in A♭ major but modulating through D♭ harmony) uses E♭m7-related colours constantly.

Drill it

The Eb minor 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.

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Frequently asked

What notes are in an E♭m7 chord?: E♭m7 contains four notes: E♭ (root), G♭ (minor third), B♭ (perfect fifth), and D♭ (minor seventh).
Is E♭m7 the same as D♯m7?: Yes, enharmonically. E♭m7 is the flat-side spelling (used in D♭-major contexts); D♯m7 is the sharp-side spelling. E♭m7 is much more common in published jazz literature.
What jazz standards use E♭m7?: Coltrane's "Naima" (with its D♭-major colour modulations), "Lush Life" by Billy Strayhorn, and many other deeply flat-side ballads. The chord is fundamental to advanced jazz harmony in D♭ / G♭.
How do you play E♭m7 on guitar?: Most commonly a 6th-fret A-shape barre: index across strings 5-1 on fret 6, ring finger on the 8th fret of the 4th string, middle finger on the 6th fret of the 3rd string, pinky on the 7th fret of the 2nd string.