The Key of A♭ Major for Guitar
The key of A♭ major has the notes A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G, 4 flats (B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭), and its relative minor is F minor.
- Chords
- A♭ B♭m Cm D♭ E♭ Fm Gdim
- Main three
- A♭ D♭ E♭
- Key signature of A♭ major
- 4 flats (B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭)
Chords in the key
Chords in A♭ major · moved from A♭ major · · tap to hear1 home chord of the key
35 on the 3rd and 5th
2 other degrees
Now sounding
Key · Capo
Showing: A♭ major (page key)No capo: you play A♭ major shapes as written.
Fretboard · A♭ major scale
Tap a dot to hear it; it lights amber while it sounds. Brightest dot = 1, the root (A♭). Lighter grey = 3 and 5. High e on top, frets 0 to 12, no capo. Swipe the board sideways for frets 7 to 12.
Progression · I–V–vi–IV
Stopped. Four beats per chord, strum D D U D.
Chords in A♭ major, with notes
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I | A♭ | A♭ C E♭ |
| ii | B♭m | B♭ D♭ F |
| iii | Cm | C E♭ G |
| IV | D♭ | D♭ F A♭ |
| V | E♭ | E♭ G B♭ |
| vi | Fm | F A♭ C |
| vii° | Gdim | G B♭ D♭ |
Seventh chords in A♭ major
Add the next scale note a third above each triad and you get the four-note seventh chords of the key.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | A♭maj7 | A♭ C E♭ G |
| ii7 | B♭m7 | B♭ D♭ F A♭ |
| iii7 | Cm7 | C E♭ G B♭ |
| IVmaj7 | D♭maj7 | D♭ F A♭ C |
| V7 | E♭7 | E♭ G B♭ D♭ |
| vi7 | Fm7 | F A♭ C E♭ |
| viiø7 | Gm7♭5 | G B♭ D♭ F |
Shapes and voicings for every chord: chord directory.
Why A♭ major has 4 flats (B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭)
Every major scale uses the same step pattern: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. Start that pattern on A♭ and the notes land on A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G, so the key needs B♭, E♭, A♭ and D♭. On one string a whole step is two frets and a half step is one fret, up to the octave at fret 12.
A♭ major scale in first position
Every note of A♭ major in frets 0 to 4. Play one finger per fret: fret 1 = finger 1, fret 2 = finger 2, fret 3 = finger 3, fret 4 = finger 4, open strings need no finger. Start on the lowest root, A♭ on the 6th string, fret 4, and play up string by string.
Tap a dot to hear it. High e on top; the brightest dot is the root.
Past fret 4: A♭ major scale in every position up the neck, with play-along and a root drone. Pentatonic, blues and the modes work over these chords too: see all guitar scales.
Playing in A♭ on guitar
A♭ major is a capo key on guitar. Only one of the six open strings, G, is in the scale, and none of the seven chords has an open shape. A capo on fret 1 fixes both: the G major shapes sound one semitone higher, so G, C, D and Em become A♭, D♭, E♭ and Fm.
Without a capo, the home chord is the E-shape barre at fret 4 (4 6 6 5 4 4) and D♭ the A-shape barre at fret 4, so the hand can stay around frets 4 to 6 for the main changes. Fm is the E-shape minor barre at fret 1.
In half-step-down tuning (E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭) the open A shapes sound as A♭, so A, D and E fingerings play A♭, D♭ and E♭ with open strings.
Even with the capo, the minor chords need some care: B♭m and Cm are played as the Am and Bm shapes, and that Bm is still a barre. Songs that stay on A♭, D♭, E♭ and Fm need only G, C, D and Em behind the capo, and the open D7 shape there (x x 0 2 1 2) sounds as E♭7, the V7 that leads back to A♭.
Common progressions in A♭ major
| Degrees | Chords | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| I–V–vi–IV | A♭ E♭ Fm D♭ | A♭ E♭ Fm D♭: the pop loop in A♭, which is G D Em C with the capo on fret 1. |
| I–IV–V–I | A♭ D♭ E♭ A♭ | A♭ D♭ E♭ A♭: three barre chords without a capo, G C D with one. |
| I–vi–IV–V | A♭ Fm D♭ E♭ | A♭ Fm D♭ E♭: the 1950s loop; at capo 4 the shapes are E C♯m A B. |
| vi–IV–I–V | Fm D♭ A♭ E♭ | Fm D♭ A♭ E♭: the loop from F minor, the relative minor; Em C G D at capo 1. |
Pick one in the player above and press Play to strum along, four beats per chord.
Capo and A♭ major
Capo 1 with G shapes is the easy way to play in A♭. Capo 4 with E shapes and capo 6 with D shapes also sound in A♭ and suit a higher second part.
| Capo | A♭ shapes sound in |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | A major |
| Fret 2 | B♭ major |
| Fret 3 | B major |
| Fret 4 | C major |
| Fret 5 | D♭ major |
| Fret 6 | D major |
| Fret 7 | E♭ major |
Song in another key? Capo for A♭ major songs: the capo fret and easier shapes, or any other key.
New to the capo? How to use a capo: where to clamp it and why the same shapes sound in a new key.
Relative minor: F minor
F minor uses the same seven notes, starting on F, the 6th note of the scale. Its chord is the vi in the row above. Songs often move between the two keys without changing a single chord shape.
Have a recording and no idea what key it is in? Find the key of a song from the audio file or by letting it listen; it also gives the chords to play and the easiest capo.
Related keys
- The key of F minorrelative
- The key of G♯ minorparallel
- The key of D♭ majorcircle, one step left
- The key of E♭ majorcircle, one step right
See how every key connects: interactive circle of fifths.
FAQ about A♭ major
What chords are in the key of A flat major?
A♭, B♭m, Cm, D♭, E♭, Fm and Gdim. A♭ (I), D♭ (IV) and E♭ (V) are the main three.
How do I play in A flat major on guitar?
Put a capo on fret 1 and play in G: G, C, D and Em sound as A♭, D♭, E♭ and Fm. Without a capo, use barre chords around frets 4 to 6.
Is A flat major the same as G sharp major?
They sound the same, but G♯ major would need an F double sharp, eight sharps in all. A♭ major needs only four flats, so it is the spelling used.
What is the relative minor of A flat major?
F minor. It has the same four flats, B♭, E♭, A♭ and D♭.
Next steps in A♭ major
- Progressions in A♭ majorgenerate, hear and loop chord progressions in this key
- A♭ major pentatonicfive notes for melodies and fills
- Guitar tunertune up before you play along