A♭ major chord on guitar (A♭)

A♭ is A♭, C and E♭. The usual shape is 4-6-6-5-4-4, a barre at the 4th fret. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.

4-6-6-5-4-4 · barre · medium

Notes: A♭ · C · E♭
Formula: 1 · 3 · 5
First shape: 4-6-6-5-4-4

How to play A♭ on guitar

Shape 1, 4-6-6-5-4-4, reading from the low E string on the left, starts at the 4th fret:

Index finger lies flat over all the strings, just behind the 4th fret wire.
C: middle finger, 5th fret of the G string.
E♭: ring finger, 6th fret of the A string.
A♭: pinky finger, 6th fret of the D string.

If one string buzzes under the barre, it is usually sitting in a crease of your finger. Slide the barre up or down a few millimeters until it rings.
Your little finger has a job in this shape; it gets stronger in a week or two of short daily practice.

Other ways to play A♭

x-x-6-5-4-4: movable shape at the 4th fret, medium. Only the thinner strings sound, which cuts through a band without getting muddy.
x-11-13-13-13-11: barre shape at the 11th fret, medium. Root on the 5th string, so it pairs well with the 6th-string shape a few frets away.
4-3-1-1-1-4: partial barre shape, medium. A different set of strings gives a different color of the same chord.

Capo shortcuts for A♭

A capo turns an open chord into A♭: capo on the 1st fret and play the open G shape (3-2-0-0-0-3), capo on the 4th fret and play the open E shape (0-2-2-1-0-0) or capo on the 6th fret and play the open D shape (x-x-0-2-3-2). Handy when the rest of the song's chords also have open shapes in that position.

Changing from A♭ to the chords around it

These are the changes you'll meet most often with A♭, using the first shape of each chord.

C♯ (IV in A♭ major): 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. C♯ on guitar
E♭ (V in A♭ major): 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. E♭ on guitar
Fm (vi in A♭ major): 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. Fm on guitar

A♭ is a major triad: bright, settled and stable. Major chords are the backbone of most songs; A♭ is home in A♭ major and a common IV or V in the keys around it. On guitar you hear it best picked slowly, string by string.

Getting A♭ under your fingers

Before strumming, play 4-6-6-5-4-4 note by note: A♭ then E♭ then A♭ then C then E♭ then A♭. A dead note tells you exactly which finger to fix. Next, alternate 4-6-6-5-4-4 and x-x-6-5-4-4, slowly, until the change takes less than a beat.

G♯ is another spelling of A♭. Same shape, same sound.

A♭ in context

In A♭ major, I–V–vi–IV on guitar is A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4), E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3), Fm (1-3-3-1-1-1) and C♯ (x-4-6-6-6-4). About the pop progression.

In A♭ major, I–IV–V on guitar is A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4), C♯ (x-4-6-6-6-4) and E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3). About the three-chord progression.

In A♭ major, I–vi–IV–V on guitar is A♭ (4-6-6-5-4-4), Fm (1-3-3-1-1-1), C♯ (x-4-6-6-6-4) and E♭ (x-x-1-3-4-3). About the 50s progression.

A♭ on piano and ukulele

A♭ on piano and ukulele uses the same 3 notes in a different layout. See all three together.

Close to A♭

Other major chords

A♭ on guitar: questions

What notes are in A♭ on guitar?

A♭, C and E♭. In the 4-6-6-5-4-4 shape the strings play A♭ (low E string), E♭ (A string), A♭ (D string), C (G string), E♭ (B string) and A♭ (high E string), so A♭ and E♭ are doubled.

What's the easiest way to play A♭ on guitar?

No open-string A♭ exists in standard tuning; x-x-6-5-4-4 is the place to start. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and a capo can make it easier in some songs.

Is A♭ a barre chord on guitar?

Yes. 4-6-6-5-4-4 has your index finger across the 4th fret. x-x-6-5-4-4 avoids the barre.

Which string does A♭ start on?

In the 4-6-6-5-4-4 shape the lowest string you play is the low E string at the 4th fret, which is A♭, the root.

Shapes and sound are generated from the notes A♭, C and E♭ and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.