Ab — Ab major chord

Root, major third and perfect fifth. The default three-note chord.

1 = Ab
3 = C
5 = Eb

Symbol: Ab
Root: Ab
Quality: Major
Family: triad
Notes: Ab C Eb
Degree formula: 1 3 5
Semitones from the root: 0 4 7
Distinct pitch classes: 3
Interval structure: Stacked from the root: 4 semitones, 3 semitones
Notation: Written as the bare letter name, for example C.
Key: Ab · Ab major / F minor key signature

Formula

The chord tones in order from the root, with the interval each one forms above it.

Degree	Note	Semitones	Interval from the root
1	Ab	0	Perfect unison
3	C	4	Major third
5	Eb	7	Perfect fifth

Inversions

An inversion is the same set of notes with a different one in the bass. The last column gives the distance of each note above the bass note, in semitones.

Inversion	Bass note	Degree in the bass	Notes above the bass	Semitones above the bass
root position	Ab	1	Ab – C – Eb	0 4 7
first inversion	C	3	C – Eb – Ab	0 3 8
second inversion	Eb	5	Eb – Ab – C	0 5 9

Playable voicings

These shapes were found by searching the fretboard of a standard-tuned guitar (E A D G B E) rather than copied from a chord book. The search allows every string to sound or to be muted, rejects any shape with a muted string between two sounding strings, rejects any shape whose fretted notes span more than four frets (a five-fret window), requires every chord tone to be present, and then sorts what remains with root-position shapes first and the most compact, lowest shapes next. The shapes shown are the first six of that ordering; other orderings are possible at the same frets.

#	Shape (low string first)	Notes	Degrees	Bass	Span (frets)	Sounding strings
1	4-6-6-5-4-4 (6→1)	Ab Eb Ab C Eb Ab	1 5 1 3 5 1	Ab	2	6
2	4-3-1-1-1-4 (6→1)	Ab C Eb Ab C Ab	1 3 5 1 3 1	Ab	3	6
3	4-3-1-1-4-4 (6→1)	Ab C Eb Ab Eb Ab	1 3 5 1 5 1	Ab	3	6
4	4-3-6-5-4-4 (6→1)	Ab C Ab C Eb Ab	1 3 1 3 5 1	Ab	3	6
5	4-3-1-5-1-4 (6→1)	Ab C Eb C C Ab	1 3 5 3 3 1	Ab	4	6
6	4-3-1-5-4-4 (6→1)	Ab C Eb C Eb Ab	1 3 5 3 5 1	Ab	4	6

Shape numbers run from the lowest string to the highest, so the left-hand number is the sixth string (low E) in standard tuning. Multiple shapes are listed because a chord can be voiced several ways, and because a lower position is not always the better sounding one.

Related chords and scales

KeyEverything in Abscale, chords and neck map for this root
ScaleAb majorthe scale this chord comes from
ChordAbmthe parallel minor triad
ChordAbmaj7the seventh chord on this root
ChordAb6the same triad with a sixth added
ScaleAbsus4the triad with the third raised
ChordFmthe relative minor triad, sharing two of three notes

Everything in Ab · All chords

KeyKey of AbAb Bb C Db Eb F G · Ab major / F minor
ScaleAb major7 notes · 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
ChordAbm — Minor1 b3 5 · Ab Cb Eb
ChordAbmaj7 — Major seventh1 3 5 7 · Ab C Eb G
ChordAb6 — Sixth1 3 5 6 · Ab C Eb F
ChordAbsus4 — Suspended fourth1 4 5 · Ab Db Eb
ChordFm — Minor1 b3 5 · F Ab C
ChordAbaug — Augmented1 3 #5 · Ab C E

Everything in this key: Ab · Chords · Theory Atlas