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A♭ major scale

A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G: the A♭ major scale has 4 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭). Change the root or the scale type below to see any other scale.

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Music scales

A♭ major scale

A♭, 1B♭, 2C, 3D♭, 4E♭, 5F, 6G, 7

The A♭ major scale has 7 notes: A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F and G.

Formula1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Steps (W = whole, H = half)W – W – H – W – W – W – H
Semitones2 – 2 – 1 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 1

On the piano

CFGA♭B♭D♭E♭A♭

On the staff (treble clef)

On the guitar fretboard (standard tuning, frets 0-12)

123456789101112EADGBEFGA♭B♭CD♭E♭B♭CD♭E♭FGA♭E♭FGA♭B♭CD♭GA♭B♭CD♭E♭FGCD♭E♭FGA♭B♭FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭

Scale degrees

DegreeNoteNameInterval from the tonic
1A♭tonicperfect unison
2B♭supertonicmajor second
3Cmediantmajor third
4D♭subdominantperfect fourth
5E♭dominantperfect fifth
6Fsubmediantmajor sixth
7Gleading tonemajor seventh
Key signature4 flats (B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭)
Relative minorF minor

Chords in A♭ major

A♭, IB♭m, iiCm, iiiD♭, IVE♭, VFm, viGdim, vii°

Notes of the A♭ major scale

The A♭ major scale has 7 notes: A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F and G. Like every major scale, it follows the pattern W–W–H–W–W–W–H (W = whole step, H = half step) from A♭ up to the next A♭.

It has 4 flats: B♭, E♭, A♭ and D♭.

DegreeNoteName
1A♭Tonic
2B♭Supertonic
3CMediant
4D♭Subdominant
5E♭Dominant
6FSubmediant
7GLeading tone

Chords in A♭ major

Building a triad on each note of the scale gives the chords of A♭ major: A♭, B♭m, Cm, D♭, E♭, Fm and Gdim.

DegreeTriadSeventh chord
IA♭ (A♭ C E♭)A♭maj7 (A♭ C E♭ G)
iiB♭m (B♭ D♭ F)B♭m7 (B♭ D♭ F A♭)
iiiCm (C E♭ G)Cm7 (C E♭ G B♭)
IVD♭ (D♭ F A♭)D♭maj7 (D♭ F A♭ C)
VE♭ (E♭ G B♭)E♭7 (E♭ G B♭ D♭)
viFm (F A♭ C)Fm7 (F A♭ C E♭)
vii°Gdim (G B♭ D♭)Gm7♭5 (G B♭ D♭ F)

Key signature and related keys

A♭ major uses the key signature with 4 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭). Its relative minor is F minor: the same notes and key signature, starting on F. Its parallel minor is A♭ minor, which starts on the same note, A♭.

All major and minor scales

Major scales

Natural minor scales

Frequently asked questions

What are the notes of the A♭ major scale?
A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F and G.
How many sharps or flats are in A♭ major?
4 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭).
What is the relative minor of A♭ major?
F minor. Both keys share the same key signature.
What chords are in the key of A♭ major?
A♭ (I), B♭m (ii), Cm (iii), D♭ (IV), E♭ (V), Fm (vi), Gdim (vii°).

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