Scale degrees · F major
The ♭7 of F is E♭
The ♭7 (flat seven, written b7) of F is E♭ (E flat): a minor seventh above the root.
F — the root, 1E♭ — the ♭7
How to find it
Count letters first, the root included: F, G, A, B, C, D, E. A 7th lands on E.
Then the sound: a minor seventh is 10 semitones above F, and the E that is 10 semitones up is E♭.
That is why it is E♭ and not D♯: D♯ is the same key on the piano, but from F it would be a 6th, not a 7th.
Where you meet it
The ♭7 is the 7th of the dominant chord and of the minor seventh chord, and the note that turns the major scale into Mixolydian.
In F7:
F · A · C · E♭
The ♭7 in every key
| Key | The ♭7 |
|---|---|
| C | B♭ |
| G | F |
| D | C |
| A | G |
| E | D |
| B | A |
| F♯ | E |
| D♭ | C♭ |
| A♭ | G♭ |
| E♭ | D♭ |
| B♭ | A♭ |
| F | E♭ |
Every degree of F
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