The Key of G♭ Major for Guitar
The key of G♭ major has the notes G♭ A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F, 6 flats (B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭), and its relative minor is E♭ minor.
- Chords
- G♭ A♭m B♭m C♭ D♭ E♭m Fdim
- Main three
- G♭ C♭ D♭
- Key signature of G♭ major
- 6 flats (B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭)
Chords in the key
Chords in G♭ major · moved from G♭ major · · tap to hear1 home chord of the key
35 on the 3rd and 5th
2 other degrees
Now sounding
Key · Capo
Showing: G♭ major (page key)No capo: you play G♭ major shapes as written.
Fretboard · G♭ major scale
Tap a dot to hear it; it lights amber while it sounds. Brightest dot = 1, the root (G♭). Lighter grey = 3 and 5. High e on top, frets 0 to 12, no capo. Swipe the board sideways for frets 7 to 12.
Progression · I–IV–V–I
Stopped. Four beats per chord, strum D D U D.
Chords in G♭ major, with notes
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I | G♭ | G♭ B♭ D♭ |
| ii | A♭m | A♭ C♭ E♭ |
| iii | B♭m | B♭ D♭ F |
| IV | C♭ | C♭ E♭ G♭ |
| V | D♭ | D♭ F A♭ |
| vi | E♭m | E♭ G♭ B♭ |
| vii° | Fdim | F A♭ C♭ |
Seventh chords in G♭ major
Add the next scale note a third above each triad and you get the four-note seventh chords of the key.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | G♭maj7 | G♭ B♭ D♭ F |
| ii7 | A♭m7 | A♭ C♭ E♭ G♭ |
| iii7 | B♭m7 | B♭ D♭ F A♭ |
| IVmaj7 | C♭maj7 | C♭ E♭ G♭ B♭ |
| V7 | D♭7 | D♭ F A♭ C♭ |
| vi7 | E♭m7 | E♭ G♭ B♭ D♭ |
| viiø7 | Fm7♭5 | F A♭ C♭ E♭ |
Shapes and voicings for every chord: chord directory.
Why G♭ major has 6 flats (B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ C♭)
Every major scale uses the same step pattern: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. Start that pattern on G♭ and the notes land on G♭ A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F, so the key needs B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭ and C♭. On one string a whole step is two frets and a half step is one fret, up to the octave at fret 12.
G♭ major scale in first position
Every note of G♭ major in frets 0 to 4. Play one finger per fret: fret 1 = finger 1, fret 2 = finger 2, fret 3 = finger 3, fret 4 = finger 4, open strings need no finger. Start on the lowest root, G♭ on the 6th string, fret 2, and play up string by string.
Tap a dot to hear it. High e on top; the brightest dot is the root.
Past fret 4: G♭ major scale in every position up the neck, with play-along and a root drone. Pentatonic, blues and the modes work over these chords too: see all guitar scales.
Playing in G♭ on guitar
G♭ major has six flats, and its fourth note is C♭, which is the same fret as B. That is why the IV chord is called C♭ even though the hand plays a B chord shape. In standard tuning only one of the six open strings, B, is in the scale, here acting as C♭.
Tuned down a half step (E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭), a guitar plays G♭ with open G-key shapes: G, C and D sound as G♭, C♭ and D♭, and every open string is in the scale. In standard tuning, reading the flat chord names is the main hurdle; the fingerings are the same as for F♯ major.
With a capo the key is no harder than E or D: capo 2 with E shapes or capo 4 with D shapes sounds in G♭. Without one, G♭ is the E-shape barre at fret 2 and D♭ the A-shape barre at fret 4.
Same sounds, other spelling: The key of F♯ major (6 sharps (F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯ E♯)).
Common progressions in G♭ major
| Degrees | Chords | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| I–IV–V–I | G♭ C♭ D♭ G♭ | G♭ C♭ D♭ G♭: C♭ is the B chord shape, so this is played exactly like F♯ B C♯. |
| I–V–vi–IV | G♭ D♭ E♭m C♭ | G♭ D♭ E♭m C♭: the four-chord loop; with capo 2 the shapes are E B C♯m A. |
| vi–IV–I–V | E♭m C♭ G♭ D♭ | E♭m C♭ G♭ D♭: the loop from E♭ minor, the relative minor. |
| I–vi–IV–V | G♭ E♭m C♭ D♭ | G♭ E♭m C♭ D♭: the 1950s loop; capo 4 turns it into D Bm G A. |
Pick one in the player above and press Play to strum along, four beats per chord.
Capo and G♭ major
Capo 2 with E shapes, capo 4 with D shapes and capo 6 with C shapes all sound in G♭. When reading a G♭ chart with the capo on fret 2, read every chord name two semitones down: G♭ is the E shape, C♭ the A shape, D♭ the B shape.
| Capo | G♭ shapes sound in |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | G major |
| Fret 2 | A♭ major |
| Fret 3 | A major |
| Fret 4 | B♭ major |
| Fret 5 | B major |
| Fret 6 | C major |
| Fret 7 | D♭ major |
Song in another key? Capo for G♭ major songs: the capo fret and easier shapes, or any other key.
New to the capo? How to use a capo: where to clamp it and why the same shapes sound in a new key.
Relative minor: E♭ minor
E♭ minor uses the same seven notes, starting on E♭, the 6th note of the scale. Its chord is the vi in the row above. Songs often move between the two keys without changing a single chord shape.
Have a recording and no idea what key it is in? Find the key of a song from the audio file or by letting it listen; it also gives the chords to play and the easiest capo.
Related keys
- The key of E♭ minorrelative
- The key of F♯ minorparallel
- The key of B majorcircle, one step left
- The key of D♭ majorcircle, one step right
See how every key connects: interactive circle of fifths.
FAQ about G♭ major
What chords are in the key of G flat major?
G♭, A♭m, B♭m, C♭, D♭, E♭m and Fdim. G♭ (I), C♭ (IV) and D♭ (V) are the main three.
What is C flat on the guitar?
The same fret as B. G♭ major spells it C♭ so that each letter appears once in the scale; the C♭ chord is played with a B chord shape.
Is G flat major the same as F sharp major?
Same sound, same frets, different names: G♭ major has six flats, F♯ major six sharps. They sit at the same point at the bottom of the circle of fifths.
What is the relative minor of G flat major?
E♭ minor, which shares its six flats. Its home chord, E♭m, is the A-shape minor barre at fret 6.
Next steps in G♭ major
- Progressions in G♭ majorgenerate, hear and loop chord progressions in this key
- G♭ major pentatonicfive notes for melodies and fills
- Guitar tunertune up before you play along