Scale degrees · A major
The ♭5 of A is E♭
The ♭5 (flat five, written b5) of A is E♭ (E flat): a diminished fifth above the root.
A — the root, 1E♭ — the ♭5
How to find it
Count letters first, the root included: A, B, C, D, E. A 5th lands on E.
Then the sound: a diminished fifth is 6 semitones above A, and the E that is 6 semitones up is E♭.
That is why it is E♭ and not D♯: D♯ is the same key on the piano, but from A it would be a 4th, not a 5th.
Where you meet it
The ♭5 halves the octave: a tritone above A. It is the 5th of the half-diminished and the diminished chord.
In Am7♭5:
A · C · E♭ · G
The ♭5 in every key
| Key | The ♭5 |
|---|---|
| C | G♭ |
| G | D♭ |
| D | A♭ |
| A | E♭ |
| E | B♭ |
| B | F |
| F♯ | C |
| D♭ | A𝄫 |
| A♭ | E𝄫 |
| E♭ | B𝄫 |
| B♭ | F♭ |
| F | C♭ |
Every degree of A
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