Key of A♭ major
The key of A♭ major has four flats — B♭, E♭, A♭ and D♭. Its scale runs A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G, and building a triad on each of those seven notes — stacking thirds from the scale itself — produces the key's seven chords.
That gives three major chords, three minor chords and one diminished chord. The majors — A♭ (I), D♭ (IV) and E♭ (V) — are the workhorses that carry most songs in the key; the minors B♭m (ii), Cm (iii) and Fm (vi) supply the softer colors, and G° (vii°) appears mostly as a passing chord.
Relative minor: F minor — the same seven chords, with Fm as home base.
The seven chords of A♭ major
Common questions
- What chords are in the key of A♭ major?
- The seven chords in the key of A♭ major are A♭ (I), B♭m (ii), Cm (iii), D♭ (IV), E♭ (V), Fm (vi) and G° (vii°).
- What is the relative minor of A♭ major?
- F minor. The two keys share the same key signature and the same seven chords — F minor simply treats Fm, not A♭, as home.
- How many sharps or flats does A♭ major have?
- A♭ major has four flats: B♭, E♭, A♭ and D♭.