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Ab Major Chord

Ab major can feel like home in A flat major, then sound like a lead-in when it appears before D flat. Its A flat, C and E flat never change; the surrounding chords change what you expect next.

  • Notes: A flat-C-E flat
  • Symbol: Ab
  • Home chord of A flat major
  • Leads to D flat
Switch chordAb

How to play an Ab major chord

Notes: Ab - C - Eb · symbol Ab

  • Root position

    Ab - C - Eb
    C4C5
    Right hand 1-3-5 · Left 5-3-1

  • 1st inversion

    C - Eb - Ab
    C4C5
    Right hand 1-2-5 · Left 5-3-1

  • 2nd inversion

    Eb - Ab - C
    C4C5
    Right hand 1-3-5 · Left 5-2-1

Where does Ab major belong?

All three notes come from the A flat major scale, so Ab major is the home chord of that key.
Press play on the role cards to hear the same chord do different jobs elsewhere; Diatonic Chords explains the numbered roles.

  • In Ab majorHome
    I

    A song in Ab major keeps coming back to this chord.

    DbIVEbVAbI
  • In Db majorTension
    V

    It pulls back to Db: C wants to rise one half step to D flat.

    DbIGbIVAbVDbI
  • In Eb majorA step away
    IV

    A warm move away from Eb, softer than the V that follows.

    EbIAbIVBbVEbI
  • In C# minorMinor-key dominant
    V

    Harmonic minor raises the third to C, so C#m sounds truly finished. In this key the chord is spelled G#.

    C#miF#mivG#VC#mi

Progressions to try

  • AbDbEbAb

    I-IV-V-I in A flat major leaves home and returns after E flat.

  • AbEbFmDb

    The I-V-vi-IV loop visits F minor before D flat turns the phrase around.

  • DbGbAbDb

    Ab acts as V in D flat major; hear the final move into Db.

  • C#mF#mG#C#m

    The same sounding chord is spelled G#, the major V that leads into C# minor.

Which shape should you use?

On guitar, start with 466544, a barre at the 4th fret. The barre shape x-11-10-8-9-8, at the 8th fret, moves the chord up the neck and sits well between other barre chords. x-11-13-13-13-11 gives you another position higher up.

On ukulele, start with 5343, played at the 3rd fret. 8-8-8-11 gives a higher version.

On piano, choose the first inversion when coming from the nearby chord Db-F-Ab. Play Ab as C-Eb-Ab: A flat stays in place while Db moves to C and F moves to Eb.

In the C# minor loop the chord sounds the same but is spelled G#, because G# is the dominant of C# minor.

What are the inversions?

A flat is the root. C is the major third, four semitones above it; E flat is the fifth, seven semitones above it.

  • Root position: A flat-C-E flat, with A flat lowest.
  • First inversion: C-E flat-A flat, written Ab/C when C is the lowest note.
  • Second inversion: E flat-A flat-C, written Ab/Eb when E flat is the lowest note.

A separate bass instrument can change the lowest note even when the right hand plays an inversion. Chord Inversions explains what the slash tells the player.

How does Ab minor differ?

Keep A flat and E flat; lower only C to C flat. The result is A flat-C flat-E flat, the Ab minor chord. C flat sounds like B on a piano, but the C-flat name shows which third changed. Use the comparer to hear that single change before judging the whole sound.

  • Ab

    Ab - C - Eb
    C4

    Ab major

  • Abm

    Ab - Cb - Eb
    C4

    Ab minor

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