A♭ major scale (G♯ major)
A♭ major scale is A♭ – B♭ – C – D♭ – E♭ – F – G, with A♭, B♭, D♭ and E♭. Formula 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Play it, then slow the tempo until every note is clear.
The notes, one step at a time
The step pattern is W W H W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between C–D♭ and G–A♭.
| Degree | Note | Interval from A♭ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A♭ | root | |
| 2 | B♭ | major second | |
| 3 | C | major third | |
| 4 | D♭ | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | E♭ | perfect fifth | |
| 6 | F | major sixth | |
| 7 | G | major seventh |
The sound of A♭ major scale
The major scale is the yardstick for the rest of theory: chord numbers, intervals and key signatures are all counted from it. It sounds settled and bright because every step pulls back toward A♭.
Listen for the leading tone G, a half step below A♭. Stop on it and the scale sounds unfinished until A♭ comes back.
Compared with G♯ natural minor scale, A♭ major scale has C, F and G where the other has B, E and F♯; the other four notes are shared. Hear G♯ natural minor scale and compare.
Where your hands go
A♭, B♭, D♭ and E♭ are on black keys; the rest are white.
17 notes fit in the box between frets 2 and 8, with A♭ at the 4th fret of the low E string.
The key of A♭ major
Songs in A♭ major are built from these notes, so the key signature has four flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭). The relative minor is F minor: same notes, starting on the 6th degree. The parallel minor, G♯ natural minor, starts on the same note with different notes above it.
Chords and progressions in A♭ major
Chords built on each note
Stack every other note of the scale on each degree and you get 7 chords. These are the chords of the key. Tap to hear each one.
Same notes, different home: C Phrygian (starting on the 3rd note, C), D♭ Lydian (starting on the 4th note, D♭), E♭ Mixolydian (starting on the 5th note, E♭), F natural minor (starting on the 6th note, F), G Locrian (starting on the 7th note, G) and B♭ Dorian (starting on the 2nd note, B♭). Play any of them over a drone on its first note and the mood changes, even though the keys you press don't.
A♭ major scale across the fretboard
The root, A♭, sits at fret 4 on the low E string and 11 on the A string. Work up the neck in five positions (low E string frets 1, 4, 6, 9 and 11) and you'll have it everywhere. On guitar, learn the box from the 6th-string root first; the same fingering moves anywhere.
On the piano, A♭ major scale uses 4 black keys (A♭, B♭, D♭ and E♭) and 3 white.
A good drill once the scale is under your fingers: play it in thirds, skipping one note each time. Here that's A♭–C, B♭–D♭, C–E♭, D♭–F, E♭–G, F–A♭, G–B♭.
Three ways to practise A♭ major
Running a scale straight up and down only teaches the order. These patterns use the same 7 notes and train your ear and fingers to jump around inside A♭ major scale.
- Groups of three: A♭ B♭ C · B♭ C D♭ · C D♭ E♭ · D♭ E♭ F · E♭ F G · F G A♭.
- Land on G: A♭ G A♭ G A♭: the 7th, a half step under the root, pulls the ear home.
Try next, from A♭
Major scale in every key
A♭ major scale: questions
What are the notes of the A♭ major scale?
A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F and G, then A♭ again at the octave. Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.
How many sharps or flats are in the A♭ major scale?
Four: A♭, B♭, D♭ and E♭. That matches the key signature of A♭ major.
What chords are in the A♭ major scale?
Stacking thirds on each note gives A♭ (I), B♭m (ii), Cm (iii), D♭ (IV), E♭ (V), Fm (vi) and Gdim (vii°).
What's the difference between A♭ major scale and G♯ natural minor scale?
C, F and G in A♭ major; B, E and F♯ in the other. Everything else is the same.
Generated from the step pattern 2-2-1-2-2-2-1 and checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.