A♭6 chord on piano
A♭6 is A♭, C, E♭ and F. A♭ sits on the middle black key of the three. Play it once at full speed, then at a quarter to hear every note.
root position · A♭–C–E♭–F · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E♭ · F
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 6
How to play A♭6 on piano
Start on A♭, count 4 half steps up to C, 3 half steps up to E♭ then 2 half steps up to F. That's the whole chord: 4 keys.
- Right hand: 1 on A♭, 2 on C, 3 on E♭ and 5 on F.
- Left hand: 5 on A♭, 3 on C, 2 on E♭ and 1 on F.
- On the keyboard it's black, white, black and white keys, the same pattern as E♭6, so your hand shape carries over.
A♭6 inversions
- root position: A♭–C–E♭–F. RH 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: C–E♭–F–A♭, with C at the bottom. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: E♭–F–A♭–C (E♭ in the bass). Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: F–A♭–C–E♭, F lowest. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
Inversions keep the same notes and change which one is lowest. Moving between chords, pick the inversion that keeps your hand closest to where it already is.
Moving between A♭6 and its neighbours
These are the changes you'll meet most often with A♭6, using the first shape of each chord.
- C♯ (IV in A♭ major): A♭6 to C♯: play C♯ in 2nd inversion (G♯–C♯–E♯) and G♯ and E♯ stay under the same fingers, while C moves up to C♯. C♯ on piano
- E♭ (V in A♭ major): A♭6 to E♭: play E♭ in 1st inversion (G–B♭–E♭) and E♭ stays under the same finger, while A♭ moves down to G and A♭ up to B♭. E♭ on piano
- Fm (vi in A♭ major): A♭6 to Fm: play Fm in 1st inversion (A♭–C–F) and A♭, C and F stay under the same fingers. Fm on piano
A♭6 is A♭ major with a major sixth added. A♭6 is a vintage ending chord; hold it at the end of a swing or ballad tune instead of plain A♭. The one-by-one button above makes that quality easy to hear.
Getting A♭6 under your fingers
Roll the chord up and back down, A♭, C, E♭, F, E♭, C, A♭, before playing it as a block. Next, walk up through A♭–C–E♭–F → C–E♭–F–A♭ → E♭–F–A♭–C → F–A♭–C–E♭ without lifting your eyes to your hand.
The keys of A♭6
A♭6 is a major sixth chord, 1–3–5–6 from A♭. Root position, from the bottom: how A♭6 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| A♭ | black key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| C | white key | RH 2 · LH 3 | major third |
| E♭ | black key | RH 3 · LH 2 | perfect fifth |
| F | white key | RH 5 · LH 1 | major sixth |
G♯6 is another spelling of A♭6. Same keys, same sound.
Keys and progressions with A♭6
A♭6 on guitar and ukulele
A♭6 on guitar and ukulele uses the same 4 notes in a different layout. See all three together.
Related A♭ chords on piano
Other major sixth chords
A♭6 on piano: questions
What notes are in A♭6 on piano?
A♭, C, E♭ and F: A♭ (black key), C (white key), E♭ (black key) and F (white key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play A♭6 on piano?
Press A♭, C, E♭ and F together (2 black, 2 white). Right hand: 1 on A♭, 2 on C, 3 on E♭ and 5 on F.
What are the inversions of A♭6?
1st inversion (C–E♭–F–A♭), 2nd inversion (E♭–F–A♭–C) and 3rd inversion (F–A♭–C–E♭), after root position (A♭–C–E♭–F). Same notes, a different one at the bottom.
What does A♭6 look like on the keyboard?
black, white, black and white keys, the same pattern as E♭6, so one hand shape covers all of them.
Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside A♭6. Updated September 2026.