Chord · Ab Major
A♭ Chord
A♭ is Ab, C and Eb — bright, stable. The reference triad.
A♭ on every instrument
The same 3 notes, 6 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.
What A♭ is made of
Ab Major (Ab major) is built from the notes Ab, C, Eb, with the interval pattern 1, 3, 5. A common major chord across many styles.
Stack 1, 3 and 5 on a root of A♭ and you get Ab, C and Eb. That interval recipe is what makes the chord a major chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why C sounds like a transposed A♭.
Major: Bright, stable. The reference triad.
Spelling: the notes above are written the way a score would write them, not simplified to the nearest piano key. That is why this chord is spelled with A♭ rather than its enharmonic equivalent.
Keys that contain A♭
All 3 notes sit inside the scale of 8 keys. The roman numeral marks the degree the chord is rooted on.
Other chords on A♭
Same root, different colour.
Questions people ask about Ab
- What notes are in the Ab chord?
- Ab is made of Ab, C and Eb — the 1, 3 and 5 degrees of a major chord built on Ab.
- What keys use the Ab chord?
- Every note of Ab belongs to 8 keys: Eb Major (IV), Ab Major (I), Db Major (V), C# Major (V), C Minor (VI), F Minor (III), Bb Minor (VII), A# Minor (VII). The roman numeral is the scale degree the chord is rooted on.
- How do you play Ab on guitar and piano?
- This page shows Ab on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin and banjo — 12 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
- Is Ab the same as G#?
- Yes. Ab and G# are enharmonic — identical pitches written two different ways. Which spelling you use depends on the key you are in; Ab is the spelling this site treats as canonical.
Learn the theory behind it
Why A♭ behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.