A♭ major chord on ukulele (A♭)

A♭ is A♭, C and E♭. The usual shape is 1-3-4-3. Hit Play and watch each string light as it sounds.

1-3-4-3 · movable · medium

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

How to play A♭ on ukulele

Shape 1, 1-3-4-3, reading from the G string on the left:

Put your index finger on the G string at the 1st fret, which is A♭.
Put your middle finger on the C string at the 3rd fret, which is E♭.
Put your ring finger on the A string at the 3rd fret, which is C.
Put your pinky finger on the E string at the 4th fret, which is A♭.

Your little finger has a job in this shape; it gets stronger in a week or two of short daily practice.
A four-fret stretch: drop your wrist a little and point your thumb up the back of the neck.
Strum with the pad of your index finger or thumb, all four strings, across the spot where the neck meets the body.

Other ways to play A♭

8-8-8-6: movable shape at the 6th fret, medium. A different set of strings gives a different color of the same chord.

A♭ the capo way

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

A♭ chord changes

The chords A♭ usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.

C♯ (IV in A♭ major): A♭ (1-3-4-3) to C♯ (6-5-4-4): your index finger lands on the E string, 4th fret, move the middle finger to the A string, 4th fret, the ring finger goes to the C string, 5th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. The two chords share A♭, which is why the change sounds smooth. C♯ on ukulele
E♭ (V in A♭ major): A♭ (1-3-4-3) to E♭ (0-3-3-1): your middle finger stays put, move the index finger to the A string, 1st fret, the ring finger slides across to the E string at the same fret. E♭ carries over from one chord to the other. E♭ on ukulele
Fm (vi in A♭ major): A♭ (1-3-4-3) to Fm (1-0-1-3): your index and ring fingers stay put, move the middle finger to the E string, 1st fret. That makes it one of the quickest changes from this chord. Shared notes: A♭ and C. Fm on ukulele

A♭ is a major triad: bright, settled and stable. All 3 notes of A♭ fit on the ukulele's four strings, with one of them doubled. Play it once strummed and once picked to hear the difference.

Getting A♭ under your fingers

Pick shape 1 one string at a time, low to high: A♭, E♭, A♭, C. Every note should ring clearly; if one thuds, adjust that finger before you strum. Then switch to 8-8-8-6 and back four times without looking at your hand.

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

Where A♭ shows up

In A♭ major, I–V–vi–IV on ukulele is A♭ (1-3-4-3), E♭ (0-3-3-1), Fm (1-0-1-3) and C♯ (6-5-4-4). About the pop progression.

In A♭ major, I–IV–V on ukulele is A♭ (1-3-4-3), C♯ (6-5-4-4) and E♭ (0-3-3-1). About the three-chord progression.

In A♭ major, I–vi–IV–V on ukulele is A♭ (1-3-4-3), Fm (1-0-1-3), C♯ (6-5-4-4) and E♭ (0-3-3-1). About the 50s progression.

A♭ on guitar and piano

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

Close to A♭

Other major chords

A♭ on ukulele: questions

What notes are in A♭ on ukulele?

A♭, C and E♭. In the 1-3-4-3 shape the strings play A♭ (G string), E♭ (C string), A♭ (E string) and C (A string), so A♭ is doubled.

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

In standard tuning A♭ can't use open strings. Begin with 1-3-4-3. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and in many songs a capo can take over part of the work.

Is A♭ a barre chord on ukulele?

Not the usual shape: 1-3-4-3 needs no barre.

Which string does A♭ start on?

In the 1-3-4-3 shape the lowest string you play is the G string at the 1st fret, which is A♭, the root.

Every shape above plays only A♭, C and E♭, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.