Ebm7

Ebm7 is Eb, Gb, Bb and Db, a minor seventh. The shape this page opens on is written xx1322, lowest string first.

Also written Ebmin7, Eb-7 or Eb minor 7. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 6 common shapes for Ebm7 on the guitar, and 27 derived voicings in 3 families.

In which keys. Every note of Ebm7 belongs to C# major (the ii), Eb minor (the i), F# major (the vi), Ab minor (the v), Bb minor (the iv) and B major (the iii).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: xx1322, x6464x, x6467x, x68676, xx8879, 11-13-11-11-11-11.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. Ebm7 has x646xx, 11-9-11-x-x-x, x6x67x, 11-x-11-11-x-x, x-6-11-11-x-x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Ebm7 has xx1322, x4434x, 6646xx, xx4646, x6867x, xx8879, 9988xx, x-x-11-11-11-11.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Ebm7 has 2x132x, x4x342, 6x464x, x6x676, 9x887x, x-9-x-8-11-9, x-13-x-11-14-11, 11-x-11-11-11-x.

Tensions. A shell of Ebm7, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the 9 (F), the 11 (Ab) and the 13 (C).

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.