A Flat Major Guitar Chord | Play, Hear and Practice Interactively
If you were after A major instead, open the A chord page.
The Ab major chord contains Ab, C and Eb, a root, a major third and a perfect fifth. The page holds 19 voicings, 12 of them barre shapes, and none uses an open string.
Ab is the I chord of Ab major, the IV chord of Eb major and the V chord of Db major. Reading the notes as how a major triad is built helps when a chart writes it as G#. The Ab major scale contains all three notes.
In the fretboard player at the top, each shape comes with its notes labelled, which shows where the Ab, the C and the Eb fall.
Ab major guitar chord is also written as Ab, Abmaj, AbM or AbΔ.
Ab Chord Notes and Formula
Notes of the Ab maj chord:
Chord Formula:
Formula: 1 3 5
Same chord, different name: Ab is also written as G# major.
Ab Chord Interactive Fretboard
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Ab Guitar Chord Diagrams
Position 1 Barre Movable
Ab Major Finger Positions
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 4 of the low E, B and high E strings at the same time
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 5 of the G string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 6 of the A string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 6 of the D string
Position 2 Barre Movable Slash Chord
Ab/Eb Major Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the A string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the D, G and B strings at the same time
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 4 of the high E string
The lowest note is Eb, not the root, so this voicing is the slash chord Ab/Eb.
Position 3 Barre Movable
Ab Major Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 8 of the G and high E strings at the same time
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 9 of the B string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 10 of the D string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 11 of the A string
Position 4 Barre Movable
Ab Major Finger Positions
- Mute the A string
- Mute the high E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the D, G and B strings at the same time
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 4 of the low E string
Position 5 Barre Movable Slash Chord
Ab/C Major Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the high E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the D, G and B strings at the same time
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 3 of the A string
The lowest note is C, not the root, so this voicing is the slash chord Ab/C.
Position 6 Movable Slash Chord
Ab/C Major Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the high E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 3 of the A string
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 4 of the B string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the G string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 6 of the D string
The lowest note is C, not the root, so this voicing is the slash chord Ab/C.
Position 7 Barre Movable
Ab Major Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the high E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 11 of the A string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 13 of the D, G and B strings at the same time
Position 8 Barre Movable Slash Chord
Ab/C Major Finger Positions
- Mute the A string
- Mute the high E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 8 of the low E and G strings at the same time
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 9 of the B string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 10 of the D string
The lowest note is C, not the root, so this voicing is the slash chord Ab/C.
Position 9 Barre Movable
Ab Major Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the A string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 4 of the B and high E strings at the same time
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 5 of the G string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 6 of the D string
Position 10 Movable
Ab Major Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the A string
- Mute the D string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 11 of the high E string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 13 of the G string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 13 of the B string
Position 11 Barre Movable Slash Chord
Ab/Eb Major Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the A string
- Mute the high E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the D, G and B strings at the same time
The lowest note is Eb, not the root, so this voicing is the slash chord Ab/Eb.
Position 12 Movable
Ab Major Finger Positions
- Mute the B string
- Mute the high E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 4 of the low E string
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 5 of the G string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 6 of the A string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 6 of the D string
Position 13 Movable
Ab Major Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the B string
- Mute the high E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 8 of the G string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 10 of the D string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 11 of the A string
Position 14 Movable Slash Chord
Ab/Eb Major Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the high E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 4 of the B string
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 5 of the G string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 6 of the A string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 6 of the D string
The lowest note is Eb, not the root, so this voicing is the slash chord Ab/Eb.
Position 15 Barre Movable
Ab Major Finger Positions
- Mute the A string
- Mute the D string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 4 of the low E, B and high E strings at the same time
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 5 of the G string
Position 16 Movable
Ab Major Finger Positions
- Mute the D string
- Mute the G string
- Mute the B string
- Mute the high E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 3 of the A string
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 4 of the low E string
Position 17 Barre Movable Slash Chord
Ab/Eb Major Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 4 of the B and high E strings at the same time
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 5 of the G string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 6 of the A string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 6 of the D string
The lowest note is Eb, not the root, so this voicing is the slash chord Ab/Eb.
Position 18 Movable Slash Chord
Ab/C Major Finger Positions
- Mute the A string
- Mute the B string
- Mute the high E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 6 of the D string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 8 of the low E string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 8 of the G string
The lowest note is C, not the root, so this voicing is the slash chord Ab/C.
Position 19 Barre Movable
Ab Major Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 11 of the A and high E strings at the same time
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 13 of the D string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 13 of the G string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 13 of the B string
Find more shapes in our all guitar chords online library. If you
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Chords That Go With Ab
One key where Ab fits is Ab major, where it works as the I chord. These are the main chords of that key, the ones you will often hear around it:
See every key in the guitar keys chart, or build a progression with these chords in the chord progression generator.
More Ab Chords
Want to know how this chord is built? Read major and minor triads, or browse all Ab guitar chords.
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
FAQ
What notes are in Ab major?
Ab major is made of Ab, C and Eb. C is a major third up from Ab, four semitones, and Eb is a perfect fifth, seven semitones up.
Is Ab major the same as G# major?
They sound the same. Ab major is spelled Ab, C, Eb, while G# major is spelled G#, B#, D#, so the flat spelling avoids the B#.
How many voicings of Ab major are there?
Ab major has 19 voicings, 12 of them using a barre and none using open strings. The highest one reaches the 13th fret.
Which scale suits Ab major?
The Ab major scale: Ab, Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, G. All three chord tones sit in it, so it works for melodies over the chord.
Where does Ab major appear in a key?
Ab major is the I chord of Ab major and the IV chord of Eb major. Both scales include Ab, C and Eb.
