A♭ Chord on Guitar
Notes A♭ C E♭. Start with the 4-string A♭ (x x 6 5 4 4, the easy F shape three frets up), then the E-shape barre at fret 4.
Chord · A♭ major
Easy A♭ (4 strings) · x x 6 5 4 4
movable, no open strings
E-shape barre (fret 4) · 4 6 6 5 4 4
barre, movable
D-shape, 4 strings (fret 6) · x x 6 8 9 8
movable, no open strings
A-shape barre (fret 11) · x 11 13 13 13 11
barre, movable
1 A♭3 C5 E♭
- Barre: index finger flat across strings 2 to 1 at fret 4
- String 6 (low E): muted, do not play
- String 5 (A): muted, do not play
- String 4 (D): ring (3), fret 6
- String 3 (G): middle (2), fret 5
- String 2 (B): index (1), fret 4
- String 1 (high e): index (1), fret 4
- Barre: index finger flat across strings 6 to 1 at fret 4
- String 6 (low E): index (1), fret 4
- String 5 (A): ring (3), fret 6
- String 4 (D): pinky (4), fret 6
- String 3 (G): middle (2), fret 5
- String 2 (B): index (1), fret 4
- String 1 (high e): index (1), fret 4
- String 6 (low E): muted, do not play
- String 5 (A): muted, do not play
- String 4 (D): index (1), fret 6
- String 3 (G): middle (2), fret 8
- String 2 (B): pinky (4), fret 9
- String 1 (high e): ring (3), fret 8
- Barre: index finger flat across strings 5 to 1 at fret 11
- String 6 (low E): muted, do not play
- String 5 (A): index (1), fret 11
- String 4 (D): ring (3), fret 13
- String 3 (G): ring (3), fret 13
- String 2 (B): ring (3), fret 13
- String 1 (high e): index (1), fret 11
Notes and formula
| Degree | Note | Interval from A♭ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A♭ | root |
| 3 | C | major 3rd |
| 5 | E♭ | perfect 5th |
Formula 1 3 5 (major). Same chord as G♯: same pitches, same shapes.
Also written Ab, A flat major, G♯, G sharp major.
More on this chord type: Barre chords
Capo shapes that sound as A♭
Open shapes you may already know, moved up with a capo.
G shape + capo 1
E shape + capo 4
D shape + capo 6
Need the capo fret for a whole song? Capo calculator: any song key, any shapes. New to the capo? How to use a capo.
Progressions with A♭
| Key · progression | Chords | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| A♭ major I–V–vi–IV | A♭ – E♭ – Fm – D♭ | |
| A♭ major I–IV–V–I | A♭ – D♭ – E♭ – A♭ | |
| D♭ major I–vi–IV–V | D♭ – B♭m – G♭ – A♭ | |
| D♭ major vi–IV–I–V | B♭m – G♭ – D♭ – A♭ | |
| C minor i–VI–III–VII | Cm – A♭ – E♭ – B♭ |
Keys that contain A♭
| Key | A♭ is the |
|---|---|
| A♭ major | I |
| D♭ major | V |
| E♭ major | IV |
| C minor | VI |
| F minor | III |
| B♭ minor | VII |
Minor keys here use the natural minor scale.
Playing A♭: what goes wrong
The F barre at fret 4
The full A♭ (4 6 6 5 4 4) is the F barre moved up three frets. The frets are narrower at fret 4 than at fret 1, so the stretch is shorter than in the F barre.
Capo 1 and a G shape
With a capo on fret 1 the open G shape sounds as A♭. In a song in A♭ the open shapes G, C and D at capo 1 give A♭, D♭ and E♭.
A♭ in C minor
A♭ is the VI chord of C minor and of F minor the III. Cm, A♭, B♭ and Fm, D♭, A♭ use it that way; in E♭ major it is the IV.
Related chords
Learn and practise A♭
- Metronomepractise the change to A♭ at 60 BPM
- How to read chord chartsstrings, frets, fingers, x and o
- Chord finder (chord namer)name any other shape you find
FAQ
What notes are in A♭?
A♭, C, E♭: the 1, 3, 5 of the A♭ major chord. G♯ is the same chord spelt with a sharp.
Is A♭ the same as G♯?
Yes, the same pitches and shapes. A♭ is the usual name in flat keys such as E♭, A♭ and D♭ major; G♯ is the usual name in sharp keys: G♯ major is the V chord of C♯ minor, and G♯m is the iii chord of E major.