E♭maj7, the E♭ major 7 guitar chord
E♭maj7 is the same Amaj7 grip at the 6th fret. Up here the strings give easily, but the ring, middle and pinky fingers crowd each other in the narrow frets. Set the middle finger on the G string first, then fit the other two around it. Jazz standards in B♭ and E♭ reach for it, like I Only Have Eyes for You.
How to play it
- Index finger flattened across the A string (5th) and high E string (1st), 6th fret.
- Middle finger on the G string (3rd), 7th fret.
- Ring finger on the D string (4th), 8th fret.
- Pinky on the B string (2nd), 8th fret.
- Don't strum the low E string (6th). It stays silent in this shape.
Changes to practice
Holding E♭maj7 still is the easy part. Songs need you to arrive at it in rhythm, so in Strumhold you practice E♭maj7 as changes, alongside the rest of the Barre Major 7ths set:
- E♭maj7 ↔ Fmaj7 E♭ major 7 to F major 7 Drill
- E♭maj7 ↔ B♭maj7 E♭ major 7 to B♭ major 7 Drill
- E♭maj7 ↔ C♯maj7 E♭ major 7 to C♯ major 7 Drill
- E♭maj7 ↔ Bmaj7 E♭ major 7 to B major 7 Drill
- E♭maj7 ↔ Emaj7 E♭ major 7 to E major 7 Drill
- E♭maj7 ↔ A♭maj7 E♭ major 7 to A♭ major 7 Drill
- E♭maj7 ↔ F♯maj7 E♭ major 7 to F♯ major 7 Drill