Also written A♭5, A♭ or A♭ power chord
A♭ 5th contains A♭ and E♭. This power chord at the 1st fret has two muted strings, an intermediate grip that demands clean muting.
The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.
A♭ 5th is built from the formula 1, 5, using the root A♭ and its perfect fifth E♭. The perfect fifth gives the chord its strong, open sound. Compare A♭ 5th with A♭ major, which adds the major third C.
A♭ 5th works as a power chord in A♭ major progressions like A♭–D♭–E♭, the I–IV–V in A♭ major. A♭ 5th suits rock and punk where a full major chord sounds too bright.
The 1st fret position keeps A♭ in the bass for a rooted sound. The A♭5/D♯ inversions put E♭ in the bass, which softens the chord and works well when moving to D♭ major or F minor.
A♭ 5th is played at the 1st fret as 1 3 × ×: index finger on the G string at fret 1 and middle finger on the C string at fret 3. The E and A strings stay muted.
Tip — The index and middle fingers must fret cleanly while both remaining strings are muted, requiring precise finger placement.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 1 | 1 | A♭ (1) |
| 3 (C) | 3 | 2 | E♭ (5) |
| 2 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (A) | muted | — | — |
A♭ 5th is played at the 3rd fret as × 3 4 ×: index finger on the C string at fret 3 and middle finger on the E string at fret 4. The G and A strings stay muted.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | muted | — | — |
| 3 (C) | 3 | 1 | E♭ (5) |
| 2 (E) | 4 | 2 | A♭ (1) |
| 1 (A) | muted | — | — |
A♭ 5th is played at the 4th fret as × × 4 6: index finger on the E string at fret 4 and middle finger on the A string at fret 6. The G and C strings stay muted.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | muted | — | — |
| 3 (C) | muted | — | — |
| 2 (E) | 4 | 1 | A♭ (1) |
| 1 (A) | 6 | 2 | E♭ (5) |
A♭ 5th is played at the 8th fret as 8 8 × ×: index finger on the G string at fret 8 and middle finger on the C string at fret 8. The E and A strings stay muted.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 8 | 1 | E♭ (5) |
| 3 (C) | 8 | 2 | A♭ (1) |
| 2 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (A) | muted | — | — |
A♭ 5th is played at the 11th fret as × × 11 11: index finger on the E string at fret 11 and middle finger on the A string at fret 11. The G and C strings stay muted.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | muted | — | — |
| 3 (C) | muted | — | — |
| 2 (E) | 11 | 1 | E♭ (5) |
| 1 (A) | 11 | 2 | A♭ (1) |
A♭ 5th is written as A♭5 or A♭. On a keyboard you may see Ab5 because the flat symbol is not always available. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
A♭ 5th omits the major third C, leaving only the root and fifth. Without the third the chord has no major or minor quality, which is why it works over both A♭ major and A♭ minor contexts.
Yes, the 4th fret position plays A♭ and E♭ on the E and A strings. The higher register cuts through a band mix but loses the low G string warmth.