E♭7 5-string bass chord

How to play E♭7 on 5-string bass

The most common way, the first shape above: your middle finger on the B string at the 4th fret, your index finger on the E string at the 3rd fret, your ring finger on the A string at the 4th fret and your little finger on the D string at the 5th fret. Don’t play the G string.

From the B string 4 3 4 5 x (x: not played, 0: open)

What notes are in E♭7?

E♭7, E♭ dominant seventh, is E♭, G, B♭ and D♭: the root (E♭), the major third (G), the perfect fifth (B♭) and the minor seventh (D♭). Its formula is 1 3 5 ♭7.

Are E♭7 and E♭maj7 the same?

No. Both add a seventh to E♭, but E♭7 adds the minor seventh, D♭, and E♭maj7 the major seventh, D. E♭7 sounds restless and wants to move on; E♭maj7 sounds settled and dreamy.

Can I play E♭ instead of E♭7?

Usually, yes: the song still works, with less pull. E♭7 is a dominant seventh, the V7 of A♭ major, and its G and D♭ lead straight into A♭.

Keys with E♭7

E♭7 is the V7 chord in A♭ major and the VII7 chord in F minor, and the V7 of G♯ minor, the major fifth chord from its harmonic minor scale.