Scale degrees · C major

The ♭3 of C is E♭

The ♭3 (flat three, written b3) of C is E♭ (E flat): a minor third above the root.

How to find it

Count letters first, the root included: C, D, E. A 3rd lands on E.

Then the sound: a minor third is 3 semitones above C, and the E that is 3 semitones up is E♭.

That is why it is E♭ and not D♯: D♯ is the same key on the piano, but from C it would be a 2nd, not a 3rd.

Where you meet it

The ♭3 makes a chord minor: C minor is the root, E♭ and the 5th. Over a dominant chord the same key on the piano is usually written as the ♯9, with another letter.

In C minor:

C · E♭ · G

The ♭3 in every key

Key	The ♭3
C	E♭
G	B♭
D	F
A	C
E	G
B	D
F♯	A
D♭	F♭
A♭	C♭
E♭	G♭
B♭	D♭
F	A♭

Every degree of C