A♭ major chord (A♭)
A♭ is A♭, C and E♭: 1–3–5 built on A♭. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele. Tap Play on any of them.
On guitar
4-6-6-5-4-4 · barre · medium
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
- First shape
- 4-6-6-5-4-4
A♭ on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · A♭–C–E♭ · right hand 1-3-5
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
A♭ on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
1-3-4-3 · movable · medium
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
- First shape
- 1-3-4-3
Where A♭ usually goes next
Three changes cover most of what A♭ does in songs.
- A♭ → C♯ (IV in A♭ major)
Guitar: A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4) to C♯ (x-4-6-6-6-4): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 4th fret, move the middle finger to the D string, 6th fret, the ring finger goes to the G string, 6th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Listen for A♭, which stays put while the rest moves.
Piano: A♭ to C♯: play C♯ in 2nd inversion (G♯–C♯–E♯) and G♯ stays under the same finger, while C moves up to C♯ and E♭ up to E♯. C♯ - A♭ → E♭ (V in A♭ major)
Guitar: A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4) to E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3): move the index finger to the D string, 1st fret, move the middle finger to the G string, 3rd fret, your ring finger lands on the high E string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. The two chords share E♭, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: A♭ to E♭: play E♭ in 1st inversion (G–B♭–E♭) and E♭ stays under the same finger, while A♭ moves down to G and C down to B♭. E♭ - A♭ → Fm (vi in A♭ major)
Guitar: A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4) to Fm (1-3-3-1-1-1): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 1st fret, move the middle finger to the A string, 3rd fret, the ring finger goes to the D string, 3rd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. A♭ and C carry over from one chord to the other.
Piano: A♭ to Fm: play Fm in 1st inversion (A♭–C–F) and A♭ and C stay under the same fingers, while E♭ moves up to F. Fm
Guitar with a capo: capo 1, G shape; capo 4, E shape; capo 6, D shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 1, G shape; capo 3, F shape; capo 4, E shape; capo 6, D shape.
How A♭ is built
A♭ is a major triad: bright, settled and stable. In the key of A♭ major it is the home chord, the one a song lands on at the end.
Count keys (black and white) from A♭: 4 half steps up to C then 3 half steps up to E♭. G♯ is the other spelling of the same chord.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| A♭ | root | 0 | |
| C | major third | 4 | |
| E♭ | perfect fifth | 7 |
Keys and progressions with A♭
A♭ belongs to 7 keys: I in A♭ major, IV in E♭ major, V in D♭ major, III in F minor, V in C♯ minor (borrowing the raised 7th), VI in C minor and VII in B♭ minor.
In A♭ major, I–V–vi–IV is A♭ – E♭ – Fm – D♭. the pop progression
I–IV–V in A♭ major runs A♭ – D♭ – E♭ – A♭. the three-chord progression
Play I–vi–IV–V in A♭ major and you get A♭ – Fm – D♭ – E♭. the 50s progression
Fm – D♭ – A♭ – E♭: that's vi–IV–I–V in the key of A♭ major. the minor-feel pop loop
Chords close to A♭
- A♭ and G♯m differ by one note: C in A♭, B in G♯m. They share A♭ and E♭. G♯m
- A♭ and Fm differ by one note: E♭ in A♭, F in Fm. They share A♭ and C. Fm
Chords that share most of their notes with A♭: Fm7, A♭7, A♭maj7, A♭add9, A♭6, A♭9.
Every A♭ chord
A♭ major chord: questions
What notes are in the A♭ major chord?
A♭, C and E♭. A♭ is built 1–3–5 from A♭: C is the major third and E♭ is the perfect fifth.
How do you play A♭ on guitar?
The usual shape is 4-6-6-5-4-4 (barre). All 4 guitar shapes.
How do you play A♭ on piano?
Play A♭, C and E♭ with right-hand fingers 1-3-5. A♭ sits on the middle black key of the three. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play A♭ on ukulele?
1-3-4-3 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is A♭ in?
A♭ belongs to 7 keys: I in A♭ major, IV in E♭ major, V in D♭ major, III in F minor, V in C♯ minor (borrowing the raised 7th), VI in C minor and VII in B♭ minor.
What's the difference between A♭ and G♯m?
A♭ and G♯m differ by one note: C in A♭, B in G♯m. They share A♭ and E♭.
Every diagram on this page is generated from the notes A♭, C and E♭ and checked automatically so the sound matches the drawing. Updated September 2026.