Scale degrees · E major
The ♭5 of E is B♭
The ♭5 (flat five, written b5) of E is B♭ (B flat): a diminished fifth above the root.
E — the root, 1B♭ — the ♭5
How to find it
Count letters first, the root included: E, F, G, A, B. A 5th lands on B.
Then the sound: a diminished fifth is 6 semitones above E, and the B that is 6 semitones up is B♭.
That is why it is B♭ and not A♯: A♯ is the same key on the piano, but from E it would be a 4th, not a 5th.
Where you meet it
The ♭5 halves the octave: a tritone above E. It is the 5th of the half-diminished and the diminished chord.
In Em7♭5:
E · G · B♭ · D
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 E
Free on iPhone and Android
Name it before
you can count it.
Improvy trains every degree in all 12 keys — the 3, the ♭7, the ♯11 — until you see the note without working it out. A few minutes a day. Free to start; Pro is one payment, never a subscription.
Or try the 60-second test in your browser