Piano chord · also written G♯

A♭ Major Piano Chord

The A♭ Major chord on piano is made of the notes A♭, C and E♭. Bright, happy, and stable. The most common chord type.

A♭ Major chord on a piano keyboard: A♭, C, E♭ C5C6 A♭ C E♭

A♭ A♭ – C – E♭

Tap any key to hear it.

Name any chord from its keys in the chord finder →

What notes are in A♭ Major?

3 notes, built 1 – 3 – 5 up from A♭.

Notes
A♭ – C – E♭
Formula
1 – 3 – 5
Semitones from the root
0 – 4 – 7
Symbol
A♭
Same keys as
G♯ (G♯ – B♯ – D♯)
Chord type
Major, 3 notes

How to play A♭ Major on piano

  • Right hand: A♭ (1), C (3), E♭ (5). Fingers 1 – 3 – 5, thumb on A♭.
  • Left hand: A♭ (5), C (3), E♭ (1). Fingers 5 – 3 – 1, little finger on A♭.

Fingers are numbered 1 (thumb) to 5 (little finger) on both hands.

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A♭ Major inversions

Each inversion puts a different note of the chord in the bass. Written as a slash chord: A♭/C, A♭/E♭.

A♭ Major root position on piano: A♭, C, E♭ A♭ C E♭
Root position A♭ A♭ – C – E♭ RH 1 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 1
A♭ Major 1st inversion on piano: C, E♭, A♭ C E♭ A♭
1st inversion A♭/C C – E♭ – A♭ RH 1 – 2 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 1
A♭ Major 2nd inversion on piano: E♭, A♭, C E♭ A♭ C
2nd inversion A♭/E♭ E♭ – A♭ – C RH 1 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 2 – 1

Progressions with A♭ Major

Press play: the chords move across the keyboard as they sound, voiced so your hand barely moves.

Pop progression

in A♭ major

  1. I A♭
  2. V E♭
  3. vi Fm
  4. IV D♭
Pop progression in A♭ major: A♭, E♭, Fm, D♭ C E♭ A♭

Three-chord classic

in E♭ major

  1. I E♭
  2. IV A♭
  3. V B♭
  4. I E♭
Three-chord classic in E♭ major: E♭, A♭, B♭, E♭ B♭ E♭ G

Can you find A♭ Major?

Tap the notes on the keyboard, then check. Six chords, starting with this one.

1 / 6 Tap the notes of A♭ Major (A♭)

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Any octave, any order. Each key you tap plays.

Practice keyboard: tap the notes of the chord

What key is A♭ Major in?

The keys whose scale contains every note of A♭, with the chord’s Roman numeral in each.

Major keys

  • A♭ majorI
  • E♭ majorIV
  • D♭ majorV

Minor keys

  • F minorIII
  • C♯ minorV (harmonic minor)
  • C minorVI
  • B♭ minorVII

A♭ Major chord FAQ

What notes are in the A♭ Major chord?

A♭ Major has 3 notes: A♭, C and E♭. Its formula is 1 – 3 – 5, counted up from A♭.

How do you play A♭ Major on the piano?

Put your right thumb on A♭ and play A♭, C and E♭ with fingers 1 – 3 – 5. With the left hand, use fingers 5 – 3 – 1, little finger on A♭.

Is A♭ Major the same as G♯ Major?

On the piano, yes: G♯ (G♯, B♯, D♯) uses exactly the same keys as A♭ (A♭, C, E♭). Which name is used depends on the key of the piece; A♭ is the more common spelling.

What are the inversions of A♭ Major?

1st inversion: C, E♭, A♭ (A♭/C). 2nd inversion: E♭, A♭, C (A♭/E♭).

What key is A♭ Major in?

A♭ belongs to A♭ major (I), E♭ major (IV), D♭ major (V), F minor (III), C minor (VI) and B♭ minor (VII).

Major chords on every root