The 7 chords
A♭ · B♭m · Cm · D♭ · E♭ · Fm · Gdim
Every major key follows the same pattern: major, minor, minor, major, major, minor, diminished.
Chord chart
A♭ Major chord chart
| Degree | Numeral | Chord | Notes | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | A♭ | A♭ – C – E♭ | A♭maj7 | Tonic |
| 2 | ii | B♭m | B♭ – D♭ – F | B♭m7 | Supertonic |
| 3 | iii | Cm | C – E♭ – G | Cm7 | Mediant |
| 4 | IV | D♭ | D♭ – F – A♭ | D♭maj7 | Subdominant |
| 5 | V | E♭ | E♭ – G – B♭ | E♭7 | Dominant |
| 6 | vi | Fm | F – A♭ – C | Fm7 | Submediant |
| 7 | vii° | Gdim | G – B♭ – D♭ | Gm7b5 | Leading tone |
A♭ major scale: A♭ – B♭ – C – D♭ – E♭ – F – G. Key signature: 4 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭).
Progressions
Common chord progressions in A♭ Major
The pop progression
I – V – vi – IV
- IA♭
- VE♭
- viFm
- IVD♭
The four-chord loop behind a huge share of modern pop, rock and worship songs.
Three-chord progression
I – IV – V – I
- IA♭
- IVD♭
- VE♭
- IA♭
The three primary chords, I, IV and V — the backbone of blues, folk, country and early rock and roll.
Minor-start loop
vi – IV – I – V
- viFm
- IVD♭
- IA♭
- VE♭
The pop progression started on the vi. Same four chords, but opening on the minor chord makes the loop sound darker.
50s progression
I – vi – IV – V
- IA♭
- viFm
- IVD♭
- VE♭
The doo-wop progression of 1950s ballads, and still one of the most common loops in songwriting.
ii – V – I
ii7 – V7 – Imaj7
- ii7B♭m7
- V7E♭7
- Imaj7A♭maj7
The jazz cadence, played with 7th chords as it almost always is. The single most common move in jazz standards.
Canon progression
I – V – vi – iii – IV – I – IV – V
- IA♭
- VE♭
- viFm
- iiiCm
- IVD♭
- IA♭
- IVD♭
- VE♭
The eight-chord sequence of Pachelbel's Canon, borrowed by countless pop songs since.
Want more? Generate a progression in A♭ Major by style, or build your own in the Chord Progression Player.
7th chords
7th chords in the key of A♭ Major
Add the next note of the scale on top of each chord and you get its diatonic 7th chord — the sound of jazz, soul and R&B in A♭ major.
On guitar
Playing in A♭ Major on guitar
None of the 7 chords in A♭ major is an open chord in standard tuning — every one needs a barre or a moveable shape. A capo lets you swap those for open shapes:
Capo 1 + G major shapes
Finger G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em, F#dim — they sound as A♭, B♭m, Cm, D♭, E♭, Fm, Gdim. 5 of the 7 shapes are open chords.
See the G major chordsCapo 6 + D major shapes
Finger D, Em, F#m, G, A, Bm, C#dim — they sound as A♭, B♭m, Cm, D♭, E♭, Fm, Gdim. 4 of the 7 shapes are open chords.
See the D major chords
Scales for soloing in A♭ Major
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
The key of A♭ major has seven chords: A♭, B♭m, Cm, D♭, E♭, Fm and Gdim. Each is built from the notes of the A♭ major scale (A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G), so all seven share one key signature: 4 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭).
A♭, D♭ and E♭ — the I, IV and V chords. Those three contain every note of the A♭ major scale between them, which is why so many songs in A♭ major use little else.
F minor. It uses the same seven chords and the same key signature as A♭ major; the difference is which chord feels like home. A song that keeps returning to Fm is in F minor; one that settles on A♭ is in A♭ major.
4 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭). A♭ major shares its key signature with its relative minor, F minor.
E♭, the V chord. Its 7th chord, E♭7, is the only dominant 7th in the key, and E♭7 → A♭ is the strongest way to end a song in A♭ major.
A♭maj7, B♭m7, Cm7, D♭maj7, E♭7, Fm7 and Gm7b5. Each adds the next note of the scale on top of the triad, which gives two major 7ths, three minor 7ths, one dominant 7th and one half-diminished (m7♭5).
Stacking the scale notes on G gives G, B♭, D♭: a minor 3rd and then another minor 3rd, so the 5th is flattened. It is the least-used chord in the key — songs often skip it, or use E♭7 where it would go.
Use a capo. None of the 7 chords in A♭ major are open chords, but with a capo on fret 1 you can play G major shapes (G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em and F#dim) and they sound in A♭ major. 5 of those shapes are open chords.
Related Tools
Circle of FifthsSee every key, its relative minor and its neighbours on one wheelKey FinderPaste a progression and detect its key with Roman numeral analysisChord Progression GeneratorPick a key and style to generate a diatonic progressionCapo CalculatorFind the capo position to play any key with open shapes