As the tonic (I)A♭ major
Home. The loop leaves A♭ Major and keeps coming back to it.
A♭ Major Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The A♭ Major chord is built on the root note A♭. Its notes are A♭, C and E♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as G♯ Major.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Major chords feel bright, stable and resolved. A root, a major third and a perfect fifth give them a happy, confident sound. Most popular music is built on them.
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7
- Note
- A♭
- Quality
- Major
- Symbol
- A♭
A♭ Major on piano
3 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play A♭ Major on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on A♭, middle finger on C and little finger on E♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard A♭ and E♭ are black keys and C is white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- A♭1
- C3
- E♭5
A♭ Major on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, A♭ Major is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 4: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. If the full barre won't ring yet, play strings 4 to 1 only: they already hold all three notes.
A♭ · C · E♭
Try A♭ Major on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
A♭ Major chord notes
Also known as G♯ Major
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | A♭(Ab) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | C | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | E♭(Eb) |
How to use the A♭ Major chord
The A♭ Major chord is built from a root, a major third and a perfect fifth. Start at the root A♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: A♭, C and E♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
You'll find major chords in almost every style of popular music: rock anthems, country ballads, pop hits and hymns. They commonly appear as the I, IV and V chords in a major key.
In major keys A♭ is the IV in E♭ major, the I in A♭ major and the V in D♭ major; in minor keys it's the VI in C minor, the III in F minor and the VII in B♭ minor.
How A♭ Major differs from similar chords
A♭ and A♭m share the root and the fifth, and the only difference is the third: a major third in A♭, a minor third in A♭m. Add a major seventh and it becomes A♭maj7, add a minor seventh and it becomes A♭7. Of all the chords on this root, the plain major triad is the one that sounds finished.
Songs that use the A♭ Major chord
These well-known tracks all play the A♭ Major chord somewhere - they are not necessarily in that key.
- 1Can You Feel the Love TonightElton John
- 2All of MeJohn Legend
- 3YesterdayThe Beatles
- 4Thinking Out LoudEd Sheeran
- 5PerfectEd Sheeran
Where A♭ Major is used
A major chord is at home as a tonic, and just as useful as the IV or the V of a neighbouring key. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.
Scales that contain A♭
These scales include A♭ as one of their diatonic chords. Use them to find melodies and improvisation ideas that fit perfectly.
C Natural Minor
C · D · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭
C Harmonic Minor
C · D · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B
C Phrygian
C · D♭ · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭
C Aeolian
C · D · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭
C Locrian
C · D♭ · E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭
C Hungarian Minor
C · D · E♭ · F♯ · G · A♭ · B
C Neapolitan Minor
C · D♭ · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B
C Altered
C · D♭ · E♭ · F♭ · G♭ · A♭ · B♭
D Locrian
D · E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭ · C
D Altered
D · E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C
E♭ Major
E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B♭ · C · D
E♭ Melodic Minor
E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C · D
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the A♭ Major chord?
- The A♭ Major chord contains A♭, C and E♭ (Ab, C and Eb in plain text).
- Is the A♭ Major chord major or minor?
- A♭ Major is a major chord. Major chords feel bright, stable and resolved. A root, a major third and a perfect fifth give them a happy, confident sound. Most popular music is built on them.
- What key is the A♭ Major chord in?
- In major keys A♭ is the IV in E♭ major, the I in A♭ major and the V in D♭ major; in minor keys it's the VI in C minor, the III in F minor and the VII in B♭ minor.
- How do you play A♭ Major on piano?
- Place your fingers on A♭, C and E♭ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard A♭ and E♭ are black keys and C is white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play A♭ Major on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 4: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. If the full barre won't ring yet, play strings 4 to 1 only: they already hold all three notes.
- What is another name for the A♭ Major chord?
- A♭ Major is enharmonically equivalent to G♯ Major. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.