Tools / Chords / A♭ major

A♭ chord on ukulele (A♭ major)

Also written A♭, A♭maj or A♭M

Ukulele · A♭maj/E♭ inversion · 1-3-4-3

A♭ major is built from A♭, C, and E♭. The default shape uses four fingers in a wide stretch, which suits intermediate players with good reach.

A♭maj/E♭ inversion · 1-3-4-31-3-4-3

Positions on the neck1 of 5

How it’s built

A♭1Root

C3Major 3rd

E♭5Perfect 5th

Formula 1, 3, 5

Positions on the neck1 of 5

Inversions

The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.

Root positionA♭–C–E♭A♭Bass A♭

First inversionC–E♭–A♭A♭/CBass C

Second inversionE♭–A♭–CA♭/E♭Bass E♭

Why it sounds like that

A♭ major follows the 1, 3, 5 formula from the A♭ major scale. The major third between A♭ and C gives it a warm, full quality. Lower that third to C♭ and you get A♭ minor.

What goes wrong with A♭ major?

The pinky on the E string mutes the A string beside it.
The middle finger on the C string leans against the G string, causing a buzz at the 1st fret.

When to use it

A♭ major is the tonic in A♭ major, as in A♭–D♭–E♭, the I–IV–V–I progression. It also appears in C♯ major and E♭ major keys. Use it for warm ballads and jazz standards.

Changing to and from A♭ major

Slide the whole shape up one fret to the 2nd fret to get A major.

Which voicing to use

The default shape has E♭ in the bass, making it a second inversion. The 6th fret voicing puts A♭ in the bass for a more grounded root position.

How do you play an A♭ major chord on ukulele?

A♭maj/E♭ inversion · 1-3-4-3

Intermediate● On the diagram

A♭ major is played at the 1st fret as 1 3 4 3: index finger on the G string at fret 1, middle finger on the C string at fret 3, pinky finger on the E string at fret 4 and ring finger on the A string at fret 3.

Tip — The pinky must stretch to the 4th fret on the E string while the index finger stays at the 1st fret on the G string.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (G)	1	1	A♭ (1)
3 (C)	3	2	E♭ (5)
2 (E)	4	4	A♭ (1)
1 (A)	3	3	C (3)

A♭maj/E♭ inversion · 5-3-4-3

Intermediate

A♭ major is played at the 3rd fret as 5 3 4 3: pinky finger on the G string at fret 5, index finger on the C string at fret 3, ring finger on the E string at fret 4 and middle finger on the A string at fret 3.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (G)	5	4	C (3)
3 (C)	3	1	E♭ (5)
2 (E)	4	3	A♭ (1)
1 (A)	3	2	C (3)

A♭maj/C inversion

Intermediate

A♭ major is played in open position as 5 0 4 6: middle finger on the G string at fret 5, index finger on the E string at fret 4 and ring finger on the A string at fret 6. The C string rings open.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (G)	5	2	C (3)
3 (C)	open	—	C (3)
2 (E)	4	1	A♭ (1)
1 (A)	6	3	E♭ (5)

6th fret

Intermediate

A♭ major is played at the 6th fret as 8 8 8 6: middle finger on the G string at fret 8, ring finger on the C string at fret 8, pinky finger on the E string at fret 8 and index finger on the A string at fret 6.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (G)	8	2	E♭ (5)
3 (C)	8	3	A♭ (1)
2 (E)	8	4	C (3)
1 (A)	6	1	E♭ (5)

A♭maj/E♭ inversion · 5-3-4-6

Intermediate

A♭ major is played at the 3rd fret as 5 3 4 6: ring finger on the G string at fret 5, index finger on the C string at fret 3, middle finger on the E string at fret 4 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 6.

String-by-string breakdown

String	Fret	Finger	Note
4 (G)	5	3	C (3)
3 (C)	3	1	E♭ (5)
2 (E)	4	2	A♭ (1)
1 (A)	6	4	E♭ (5)

Common questions

How is A♭ major written?

A♭ major is written A♭, A♭maj, or A♭M. On a keyboard, type 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 C, a major third above A♭. A♭ minor lowers that to C♭, a minor third, which darkens the chord.

Why is the default shape considered intermediate?

A♭ major requires a wide stretch between the index finger at the 1st fret and the pinky at the 4th fret. This can be difficult for smaller hands.

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

A♭ (1)

3 (C)

E♭ (5)

2 (E)

A♭ (1)

1 (A)

C (3)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

C (3)

3 (C)

E♭ (5)

2 (E)

A♭ (1)

1 (A)

C (3)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

C (3)

3 (C)

open

—

C (3)

2 (E)

A♭ (1)

1 (A)

E♭ (5)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

E♭ (5)

3 (C)

A♭ (1)

2 (E)

C (3)

1 (A)

E♭ (5)

String

Fret

Finger

Note

4 (G)

C (3)

3 (C)

E♭ (5)

2 (E)

A♭ (1)

1 (A)

E♭ (5)