Piano scales · Major keys

A♭ major scale and chords

The A♭ major scale has seven notes and 4 flats. The chords in A♭ major are A♭, B♭m, Cm, D♭, E♭, Fm and Gdim. Hear the scale, every chord and the key's famous progressions.

A♭B♭CD♭E♭FG

The chords ↓

A♭ – B♭ – C – D♭ – E♭ – F – G – A♭ · tap any key to hear it

The notes

A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G, and back to A♭.

Every major scale follows the same pattern of steps: whole – whole – half – whole – whole – whole – half. A whole step skips one key; a half step goes to the very next key, black or white.

Chords in A♭ major

Build a three-note chord on each note of the scale, using only the scale's notes, and you get the seven chords of the key. In every major key they come in the same order: major, minor, minor, major, major, minor, diminished. The Roman numerals count them up from the home chord, capitals for major.

Tap a chord to hear it. The bass note is lit in lilac.

Progressions in A♭ major

The pop progressionI – V – vi – IV

A♭A♭maj7E♭E♭7FmFm7D♭D♭maj7

Four chords behind a huge number of pop songs. Start the loop on any of them and it still works.

The ’50s progressionI – vi – IV – V

A♭A♭maj7FmFm7D♭D♭maj7E♭E♭7

Doo-wop, early rock and roll and every slow dance at the end of the night.

The three-chord trickI – IV – V – I

A♭A♭maj7D♭D♭maj7E♭E♭7A♭A♭maj7

Home, away, further away, home. Folk, country, blues and rock all start here.

ii – V – Iii7 – V7 – Imaj7

B♭m7E♭7A♭maj7

The most important progression in jazz, with sevenths: each root falls a fifth to the next.

The pop progression, from the minorvi – IV – I – V

FmFm7D♭D♭maj7A♭A♭maj7E♭E♭7

The same four chords as the pop progression, starting on vi: same chords, a sadder story.

Pachelbel’s CanonI – V – vi – iii – IV – I – IV – V

A♭A♭maj7E♭E♭7FmFm7CmCm7D♭D♭maj7A♭A♭maj7D♭D♭maj7E♭E♭7

The eight chords of Pachelbel’s Canon, two beats each. Play the Canon →

Degree	Chord	Notes	With the 7th
I	A♭	A♭ – C – E♭	A♭maj7
ii	B♭m	B♭ – D♭ – F	B♭m7
iii	Cm	C – E♭ – G	Cm7
IV	D♭	D♭ – F – A♭	D♭maj7
V	E♭	E♭ – G – B♭	E♭7
vi	Fm	F – A♭ – C	Fm7
vii°	Gdim	G – B♭ – D♭	Gm7♭5

Turn on Sevenths to add the fourth note, a seventh above each root, still using only the scale's notes: that's the sound of jazz, soul and a lot of film music. Every major and minor key, side by side: chords in every key.

Key signature

A♭ major has 4 flats: A♭, B♭, D♭, E♭. Music in A♭ major shows these at the start of every line.

Its relative minor is F minor: the same notes, starting from F, so the same seven chords. See every key on the circle of fifths, and all the key signatures.

Fingering

The rule for every scale: keep your thumb off the black keys, and pass it under after the group of black keys, so your fingers 2–3 or 2–3–4 cover them. Find a fingering that follows that rule, write it on your music, and use the same one every time.

How to practise it

Hands separately first, slowly, with a metronome. Evenness matters more than speed: every note the same length and the same weight.
Watch the thumb: it should pass under smoothly, without the hand jumping.
When it's even at a slow speed, go up a few clicks. Then hands together, an octave apart.
Then play the chords: left hand on the root, right hand on the chord, and move through a progression above without looking down.

Is your scale even? Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a note that comes early or loud. Then it shows you how it should go.

Meet Ivory, the piano teacher that listens →

Questions people ask

What chords are in the key of A♭ major?

The seven chords in A♭ major are A♭, B♭m, Cm, D♭, E♭, Fm and Gdim.

What notes are in the A♭ major scale?

A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G, then A♭ again.

How many sharps or flats does A♭ major have?

A♭ major has 4 flats: A♭, B♭, D♭, E♭.

What are the I, IV and V chords in A♭ major?

A♭, D♭ and E♭: the three major chords of the key. With them you can play thousands of songs in A♭ major.

What is the relative minor of A♭ major?

F minor, which uses the same notes starting from F.