Chords in the Key of A♭ Major — Guitar Chord Chart

The key of A♭ major has 4 flats, and its seven chords are A♭, B♭m, Cm, D♭, E♭, Fm, Gdim. Start with A♭, D♭, E♭: they are the three a song in A♭ major cannot do without. Every diagram below plays when you press it.

The seven chords of A♭ major

One chord on each note of the scale, built from the scale’s own notes. Capital numerals are major chords, small ones minor, and ° is diminished.

IA♭466544the home chord
iiB♭mx13321leads to V
iiiCmx35543a softer stand-in for I
IVD♭x46664the step away from home
VE♭xx1343pulls back to I
viFm133111the relative minor
vii°Gdimxx5323rare — a passing chord

The three to learn first

A♭ is home — the chord the song starts from and ends on. D♭ is the step away, and E♭ is the one that pulls back home. On guitar they are 466544, x46664 and xx1343: A♭ with a barre at the 4th fret and three more fingers, D♭ with a barre at the 4th fret and three more fingers and E♭ with four fingers.

The easy way: a capo at the 1st fret

A♭ major is not a friendly key on guitar — A♭, B♭m, Cm, D♭, E♭ and Fm need a barre or a fourth finger. Clamp a capo at the 1st fret and play the chords of G major instead: every shape sounds 1 semitone higher, so the G shape sounds A♭, the C shape sounds D♭ and the D shape sounds E♭.

Progressions in A♭ major

The orders these chords are most often played in. Press play to hear each one strummed, a bar to a chord.

I – IV – VA♭ – D♭ – E♭

Three chords, and thousands of folk, blues, country and rock songs.

I – V – vi – IVA♭ – E♭ – Fm – D♭

The four-chord pop progression.

I – vi – IV – VA♭ – Fm – D♭ – E♭

The 1950s doo-wop turnaround.

ii – V – IB♭m – E♭7 – A♭

The jazz cadence: two steps toward home, then home.

The sevenths

Four-note versions of the same chords. E♭7 is the one worth learning first: it is E♭ with one note added, and it pulls toward A♭ harder than the plain chord does.

V7E♭7xx1323the dominant with its seventh — the strongest pull home
Imaj7A♭maj7465544home, softened
ii7B♭m7x13121the jazz player’s way into V7

The scale behind the chords

A♭ major is the notes A♭ – B♭ – C – D♭ – E♭ – F – G. Every chord above uses only those seven notes, which is why they sound as if they belong together — and why a melody in A♭ major fits over any of them. Its relative minor is F minor, which has the same notes and the same chords with a different home.

The nearest keys are a fifth either side: E♭ major and D♭ major. Each shares six of this key’s seven notes, which is why songs change key to them so often.

Frequently asked questions

What chords are in the key of A♭ major?

A♭ (I), B♭m (ii), Cm (iii), D♭ (IV), E♭ (V), Fm (vi), Gdim (vii°). They are the seven chords you get by stacking thirds on each note of the A♭ major scale — A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G — using only notes of that scale.

What are the three main chords in A♭ major?

A♭, D♭ and E♭ — the chords on the first, fourth and fifth notes of the scale. A♭ is home, D♭ moves away from it and E♭ pulls back. A great many songs use only these three.

What is the relative minor of A♭ major?

F minor. The two keys share all seven notes and all seven chords, in a different order: what is vi in A♭ major is the home chord of F minor. A song can move between them without any chord sounding out of place.

Is A♭ major an easy key on guitar?

6 of its six everyday chords — A♭, B♭m, Cm, D♭, E♭ and Fm — need a barre or four fingers on guitar. The usual way round that is a capo at the 1st fret, playing the chord shapes of G major.

Guitar Chords in the Key of A♭ Major