E♭ Minor CAGED Chord Shapes: All 5 Positions on Guitar
E♭ minor is E♭, G♭ and B♭. The CAGED system gives five shapes for it up the neck: the D shape from the 1st fret, the C shape from the 3rd fret, the A shape from the 6th fret, the G shape from the 8th fret and the E shape from the 11th fret. None of them is an open chord, so each one is a barre or a partial shape.
Keys
CAGED Chords — E♭m
Triads — E♭m
Root position
First inversion
Second inversion
All inversions
The notes of E♭m
E♭m is a minor triad: root, minor third and fifth (1 ♭3 5), which is a minor third (three frets) with a major third (four frets) on top. Every shape below is those three notes, doubled in different octaves.
It's the same pitch as D minor; this page uses E♭ because it's spelled with fewer sharps or flats.
How the five shapes connect
From the bottom of the neck up, the shapes run D (1), C (3), A (6), G (8) and E (11). Each one starts where the last one's top notes are, so playing them in order moves one chord up the whole fretboard. After the E shape, the D shape comes round again twelve frets higher.
The A shape and G shape share 2 notes (B♭ on the D string at fret 8 and E♭ on the G string at fret 8), which is the hinge between them.
Where the root, E♭, sits in each shape: D shape: D and B; C shape: A; A shape: A and G; G shape: low E and G; E shape: low E, D and high e. Find that string first and the rest of the shape falls into place around it.
Where E♭m appears
E♭m belongs to 8 keys: ii in D♭ major, vi in F major and iii in B major; i in E♭ minor, v in G minor and iv in B♭ minor; i in E♭ harmonic minor and iv in B♭ harmonic minor.
None of them is one of the open-string guitar keys (C, G, D, A, E and their relative minors), so E♭m is more often met in piano-led songs, horn arrangements and with a capo.
Open strings and capo options for E♭m
No open string is a note of E♭m, so every voicing on this page is fully fretted and there's nothing to let ring.
To get an open-sounding voicing, use a capo: the Dm shape with the capo at fret 1 and the Am shape with the capo at fret 6.
Closely related chords
The closest chords to E♭m share two of its three notes: its relative major and the chords a fourth and a fifth away, which are its neighbours in E♭ minor.
E♭m CAGED FAQs
What notes are in a E♭m chord?
E♭, G♭ and B♭: the root, minor third and fifth (1 ♭3 5).
What are the CAGED shapes for E♭ minor?
the D shape from the 1st fret, the C shape from the 3rd fret, the A shape from the 6th fret, the G shape from the 8th fret and the E shape from the 11th fret. D shape is the lowest; the D shape repeats twelve frets higher.
Where is the easiest E♭m chord on guitar?
The D shape from the 1st fret is the lowest. Most players start with the E-shape or A-shape barre, then learn the others.
Related
Learn more
The CAGED system explained covers how the five shapes are built and linked, and minor CAGED shapes shows how each one changes for minor. The CAGED guitar lessons set out what to learn next, and the CAGED library has every major and minor chord.