Explore chords · Guitar
A♭ minor chord on guitar (A♭m)
Also called or written A♭m or A♭min
A♭ minor contains A♭, C♭, and E♭, built from 1, ♭3, 5. The 4th fret full barre shape is a common choice for jazz and R&B rhythm parts.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, 5
- Root positionA♭–C♭–E♭A♭m4-6-6-4-4-4
- First inversionC♭–E♭–A♭A♭m/C♭×-2-1-1-0-×
- Second inversionE♭–A♭–C♭A♭m/E♭×-6-6-4-4-4
How do you play an A♭ minor chord on guitar?
A♭ minor is played at the 4th fret as 4 6 6 4 4 4: barre your index finger across fret 4, ring finger on the A string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the D string at fret 6.
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) | 4 | 1 (barre) | C♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
IntermediateThe hardest part is holding the full index barre across all six strings while the ring and pinky fingers fret the A and D strings at the 6th fret.
11th fret
A♭ minor is played at the 11th fret as × 11 13 13 12 11: barre your index finger across fret 11, ring finger on the D string at fret 13, pinky finger on the G string at fret 13 and middle finger on the B string at fret 12. 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 | 3 | E♭ (5) |
| 3 (G) | 13 | 4 | A♭ (1) |
| 2 (B) | 12 | 2 | C♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
A♭min/C♭ inversion · open position — the easy shape, no barre
A♭ minor is played in open position as × 2 1 1 0 ×: ring finger on the A string at fret 2, index finger on the D string at fret 1 and middle finger on the G string at fret 1. The B string rings open. The low E and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 2 | 3 | C♭ (♭3) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 | E♭ (5) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 2 | A♭ (1) |
| 2 (B) | open | — | C♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
A♭min/C♭ inversion · fret 6
A♭ minor is played at the 6th fret as 7 6 6 8 × ×: ring finger on the low E string at fret 7, 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) | 7 | 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♭min/C♭ inversion · fret 7
A♭ minor is played at the 7th fret as × × 9 8 9 7: ring finger on the D string at fret 9, middle finger on the G string at fret 8, pinky finger on the B string at fret 9 and index finger on the high e string at fret 7. 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) | 9 | 3 | C♭ (♭3) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 2 | E♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 9 | 4 | A♭ (1) |
| 1 (e) | 7 | 1 | C♭ (♭3) |
Why it sounds like that
A♭ minor is built from the root A♭, a minor third C♭, and a perfect fifth E♭. The ♭3 interval is what separates it from A♭ major, which raises that note to C. This single semitone change turns the chord from bright to dark.
What goes wrong with A♭ minor?
- Letting the index barre lift off the high E string, which mutes the top note.
- Allowing the ring and pinky fingers to collapse and mute the adjacent strings.
- Pressing the barre too hard and causing the strings to buzz.
When to use it
A♭ minor suits jazz, R&B, and any progression that needs a dark, brooding color. Pair it with B major and E major for the I–vi–IV–V loop.
Changing to and from A♭ minor
- Slide the shape up one fret to the 5th fret to play A minor.
- Move to B♭ minor by shifting the barre to the 1st fret and changing the fretted notes to 3-3-2-1.
Which voicing to use
The 4th fret full barre shape gives the root A♭ in the bass and is the standard voicing. The 11th fret barre repeats the same shape an octave higher, while the A♭min/B inversion puts C♭ in the bass for a less stable sound.
Other A♭ chords
Common questions
How is A♭ minor written?
A♭ minor is written A♭m, A♭min, A♭−, or A♭mi. The ASCII root is Ab. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between A♭ minor and A♭ major?
A♭ minor lowers the third from C to C♭. That single note changes the chord from major to minor and gives it a sadder quality.
Why is A♭ minor considered a difficult barre chord?
A♭ minor requires a full barre across all six strings at the 4th fret, which demands finger strength and precision. The ring and pinky fingers also stretch to the 6th fret.
Can A♭ minor be played without a barre?
Yes, the A♭min/B inversion at the 2nd fret uses no barre. But it puts C♭ in the bass and is less common as a root-position chord.