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Chord · Ab Power Chord

A5 Chord

A5 is Ab and Ebtwo-note dyad; rock and metal staple.

Hear it

A5 on every instrument

The same 2 notes, 6 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.

×××4fr134EADGBE
Guitar2 voicings
CDEFGAB
Piano2 voicings
××13GCEA
Ukulele2 voicings
×4fr134EADG
Bass2 voicings
××12GDAE
Mandolin2 voicings
××111GDGBD
Banjo1 voicing

What A5 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 A5.

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 A5

All 2 notes sit inside the scale of 18 keys. The roman numeral marks the degree the chord is rooted on.

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 A5 behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.

Intervals — The Only Music Theory You Actually NeedRoot and fifth, no third — which is why a power chord is neither major nor minor.5 min readThe 12-Bar Blues — Three Chords, A Century of HitsPower chords live inside the blues form. Twelve bars, three chords, endlessly reusable.7 min readBarre Chords — The Wall Every Guitarist ClimbsThe same two-finger shape slides anywhere on the neck once you can anchor it.7 min read