PorchtoneQuick answer: the seven chords in A♭ major are A♭, B♭m, Cm, D♭, E♭, Fm, G°. The strongest are A♭, D♭ and E♭ (the I, IV and V); most songs in A♭ lean on those.
The chords
| A♭IA♭ C E♭ | B♭miiB♭ D♭ F | CmiiiC E♭ G | D♭IVD♭ F A♭ | E♭VE♭ G B♭ | FmviF A♭ C | G°vii°G B♭ D♭ |
Progressions that sound good in A♭
- Pop anthemA♭ – E♭ – Fm – D♭ (I V vi IV)
Big, hopeful, singable. One of the most used progressions in pop.
- SensitiveFm – D♭ – A♭ – E♭ (vi IV I V)
The same four chords starting on the minor: wistful, then lifting.
- FiftiesA♭ – Fm – D♭ – E♭ (I vi IV V)
Doo-wop and slow-dance warmth.
- LiftD♭ – A♭ – E♭ – Fm (IV I V vi)
Starts away from home, so it feels like it is always reaching.
- Slow burnA♭ – Cm – D♭ – E♭ (I iii IV V)
Tender, with a gentle ache on the iii chord.
- HymnA♭ – D♭ – A♭ – E♭ (I IV I V)
Plain and honest; leaves room for the words.
- Three chordsA♭ – D♭ – E♭ (I IV V)
The backbone of folk, country and rock and roll.
- HighwayA♭ – G♭ – D♭ – A♭ (I bVII IV I)
Open-road rock: the borrowed ♭VII gives it swagger.
- HeartlandA♭ – G♭ – D♭ – D♭ (I bVII IV IV)
Jangly, wide-open guitar rock.
- 12-bar bluesA♭7 – A♭7 – A♭7 – A♭7 – D♭7 – D♭7 – A♭7 – A♭7 – E♭7 – D♭7 – A♭7 – E♭7 (I7 I7 I7 I7 IV7 IV7 I7 I7 V7 IV7 I7 V7)
Twelve bars that most of rock and roll grew out of.
- Two-five-oneB♭m7 – E♭7 – A♭maj7 (ii7 V7 Imaj7)
The basic cadence of jazz standards.
Playing in A♭ with a capo
If the barre chords in A♭ are a stretch, put a capo on and play easier open shapes. The song still sounds in A♭.
| Capo | Play these shapes |
|---|---|
| Fret 1 | G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em (shapes from G) |
| Fret 4 | E, G♭m, A♭m, A, B, D♭m (shapes from E) |
| Fret 6 | D, Em, G♭m, G, A, Bm (shapes from D) |
Related keys
A♭ major shares all its chords with its relative minor, F minor. Its closest neighbours are E♭ major and D♭ major, which share six of its seven notes and make easy key changes.