Key signature · 3♭
E♭ major key signature and C minor
E♭ major and its relative minor, C minor, share a key signature of three flats: B♭, E♭ and A♭.
- Flats3
- WhichB♭ E♭ A♭
- Relative minorC minor
- Home chordE♭–G–B♭
The key signature
The flats come right after the clef, on every line of music. In the treble clef: B♭ on the middle line, E♭ on the top space and A♭ on the second space. In the bass clef the same flats appear, in the same order, on the bass staff’s B, E and A.
Each one changes that letter everywhere in the piece, in every octave and on both staves: in E♭ major, every B, E and A is flat, though no sign is written beside the note.
How to recognise it quickly
Look at the second-to-last flat: E♭. That’s the name of the major key, E♭ major. For the minor key, go down three half steps: C minor.
Flats always come in the same order, so three flats are always B♭, E♭ and A♭:
- B♭
- E♭
- A♭
- D♭
- G♭
- C♭
- F♭
Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’ Father: the order of flats, the order of sharps backwards.
The E♭ major scale
E♭ – F – G – A♭ – B♭ – C – D – E♭. On the piano that’s three black keys (E♭, A♭ and B♭) and four white (F, G, C and D). Its home chord is E♭–G–B♭.
More on this key: the E♭ major scale with fingering · the E♭ major chord
C minor, the relative minor
C minor uses the same three flats, starting from C, the sixth note of E♭ major: C – D – E♭ – F – G – A♭ – B♭ – C. That’s the natural minor scale. Its home chord is C–E♭–G.
Pieces in C minor usually raise the seventh note, B♭, to B (the harmonic minor), so it leads up to C. That B is written as an accidental, not in the key signature: the natural beside the note is often the quickest clue that a piece is in C minor rather than E♭ major. Pieces also often begin or end on C or its chord.
More on this key: C minor natural minor · C minor harmonic minor · the C minor chord
Music in E♭ major and C minor
Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 and Beethoven’s “Emperor” Piano Concerto are in E♭ major.
Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata and his Fifth Symphony are both in C minor.
On the circle of fifths
One flat fewer is B♭ major, a fifth higher; one flat more is A♭ major, a fifth lower. Keys next to each other on the circle of fifths share all but one note, which is why music in E♭ major moves to them most easily.
E♭ minor, with the same home note but a minor scale, has a different key signature: six flats, the same as G♭ major.
Quiz: name the key signature
Ten key signatures in the treble or bass clef, from all fifteen. Choose the key, or play its home note on the piano below, a MIDI keyboard or your computer keys (any octave).
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Questions
How many flats are in E♭ major?
Three flats: B♭, E♭ and A♭. Every B, E and A in the piece is played flat, in every octave, unless an accidental says otherwise.
What is the relative minor of E♭ major?
C minor. It shares the key signature (three flats (B♭, E♭ and A♭)) and starts on the sixth note of the E♭ major scale, three half steps below E♭.
What are the notes of the E♭ major scale?
E♭, F, G, A♭, B♭, C, D, E♭.
Which key has three flats?
E♭ major and its relative minor, C minor.
How do you recognise the E♭ major key signature quickly?
Look at the second-to-last flat: E♭. That’s the name of the major key, E♭ major. For the minor key, go down three half steps: C minor.
Keys, one at a time
Pianomi, a free sight-reading app for piano, brings in key signatures one at a time and notices when you play a note as if the key signature weren’t there.