Explore chords · Guitar
A♭ chord on guitar (A♭ major)
Also called or written A♭, A♭maj, A♭M or A♭ chord
A♭ major contains the notes A♭, C, and E♭. The 4th fret barre shape is a common barre chord for intermediate players.
How it is built
Formula 1, 3, 5
- Root positionA♭–C–E♭A♭4-6-6-5-4-4
- First inversionC–E♭–A♭A♭/C×-3-1-1-1-×
- Second inversionE♭–A♭–CA♭/E♭×-6-6-5-4-4
How do you play an A♭ major chord on guitar?
A♭ major is played at the 4th fret as 4 6 6 5 4 4: barre your index finger across fret 4, ring finger on the A string at fret 6, pinky finger on the D string at fret 6 and middle finger on the G string at fret 5.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 3 | E♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 6 | 4 | A♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 5 | 2 | C (3) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
IntermediateThe index barre must fret all six strings cleanly while the other fingers stretch to the 6th fret.
11th fret
A♭ major is played at the 11th fret as × 11 13 13 13 11: barre your index finger across fret 11, middle finger on the D string at fret 13, ring finger on the G string at fret 13 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 13. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 11 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 13 | 2 | E♭ (5) |
| 3 (G) | 13 | 3 | A♭ (1) |
| 2 (B) | 13 | 4 | C (3) |
| 1 (e) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
A♭/C inversion · fret 1
A♭ major is played at the 1st fret as × 3 1 1 1 ×: barre your index finger across fret 1 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 3. The low E and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 3 | 4 | C (3) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 2 (B) | 1 | 1 (barre) | C (3) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
A♭/C inversion · fret 6
A♭ major is played at the 6th fret as 8 6 6 8 × ×: ring finger on the low E string at fret 8, index finger on the A string at fret 6, middle finger on the D string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 8. The B and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8 | 3 | C (3) |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 1 | E♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 6 | 2 | A♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 4 | E♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
A♭/C inversion · fret 8
A♭ major is played at the 8th fret as × × 10 8 9 8: pinky finger on the D string at fret 10, index finger on the G string at fret 8, ring finger on the B string at fret 9 and middle finger on the high e string at fret 8. The low E and A strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 10 | 4 | C (3) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 1 | E♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 9 | 3 | A♭ (1) |
| 1 (e) | 8 | 2 | C (3) |
Why it sounds like that
A♭ major is built from the formula 1, 3, 5, with the major third C giving it its bright quality. Compare it to A♭ minor, which lowers the third to C♭.
What goes wrong with A♭ major?
- Not pressing the barre hard enough, causing the high e to buzz.
- Letting the middle finger touch the D string and deaden it.
When to use it
A♭ major is the tonic in A♭ major, so it anchors progressions like A♭–D♭–E♭, the I–IV–V. It also appears in C♯ major and E♭ major keys. Use it for jazz, pop, and rock.
Changing to and from A♭ major
- Sliding the shape down two frets to the 2nd fret gives F♯ major.
- From A♭ major to E♭ major, move the barre to the 6th fret and adjust the other fingers to the E♭ shape.
Which voicing to use
The 4th fret barre shape is the standard, but the A♭/C inversion with C in the bass offers a different sound. The 11th fret barre shape gives a higher voicing.
Other A♭ chords
Common questions
How is A♭ major written?
A♭ major is written as A♭, A♭maj, or A♭M. On a keyboard, use the ASCII root Ab. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between A♭ major and A♭ minor?
A♭ major has a major third (C), while A♭ minor has a minor third (C♭). This changes the chord from bright to somber.
Why does the 4th fret A♭ major shape use a full barre?
All six strings are chord tones, so they can all ring out. The barre allows the chord to be played with A♭ in the bass.