The ♭3 of E♭ is G♭
The ♭3 (flat three, written b3) of E♭ (E flat, Eb) is G♭ (G flat): a minor third above the root.
How to find it
Count letters first, the root included: E, F, G. A 3rd lands on G.
Then the sound: a minor third is 3 semitones above E♭, and the G that is 3 semitones up is G♭.
That is why it is G♭ and not F♯: F♯ is the same key on the piano, but from E♭ it would be a 2nd, not a 3rd.
Where you meet it
The ♭3 makes a chord minor: E♭ minor is the root, G♭ and the 5th. Over a dominant chord the same key on the piano is usually written as the ♯9, with another letter.
In E♭ minor:
E♭ · G♭ · B♭
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 E♭
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