Chord · Ab Power Chord
A♭5 Chord
A♭5 is Ab and Eb — two-note dyad; rock and metal staple.
A♭5 on every instrument
The same 2 notes, 6 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.
What A♭5 is made of
Ab Power Chord (Ab power chord) is built from the notes Ab, Eb, with the interval pattern 1, 5. A common power chord chord across many styles.
Stack 1 and 5 on a root of A♭ and you get Ab and Eb. That interval recipe is what makes the chord a power chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why C5 sounds like a transposed A♭5.
Power Chord: Two-note dyad; rock and metal staple.
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♭5
All 2 notes sit inside the scale of 18 keys. The roman numeral marks the degree the chord is rooted on.
Major keys
Other chords on A♭
Same root, different colour.
The same power shape, moved
The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.
Questions people ask about Ab5
- What notes are in the Ab5 chord?
- Ab5 is made of Ab and Eb — the 1 and 5 degrees of a power chord built on Ab.
- What keys use the Ab5 chord?
- Every note of Ab5 belongs to 18 keys: Eb Major (IV), Ab Major (I), E Major (iii), B Major (vi), Db Major (V), F# Major (ii), Gb Major (ii), C# Major (V), Cb Major (vi), C Minor (VI), C# Minor (v), F Minor (III), Bb Minor (VII), G# Minor (i), D# Minor (iv), Eb Minor (iv), A# Minor (VII), Ab Minor (i). The roman numeral is the scale degree the chord is rooted on.
- How do you play Ab5 on guitar and piano?
- This page shows Ab5 on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin and banjo — 11 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
- Is Ab5 the same as G#5?
- Yes. Ab5 and G#5 are enharmonic — identical pitches written two different ways. Which spelling you use depends on the key you are in; Ab5 is the spelling this site treats as canonical.
Learn the theory behind it
Why A♭5 behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.