Chords in every key · 7 flats
Chords in the key of A♭ minor
The seven chords in A♭ minor are A♭m, B♭°, C♭, D♭m, E♭m, F♭ and G♭. A♭ minor has seven flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭ and F♭.
The seven chords
Play the chords of A♭ minor
Tap a chord to hear it. The A chord written by its place in the key: upper case for major (IV), lower case for minor (vi), ° for diminished. is its place in the key; the colour is its job: home, moving away, or pulling back home.
On guitar, F♭ (played as E) has an A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em.; the rest are A chord where one finger presses several strings at the same fret, like a movable nut, so the shape works anywhere on the neck..
Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work
Key signature and scale
The A♭ minor scale
A♭ minor has seven flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭ and F♭.
- A♭1
- B♭2
- C♭♭3
- D♭4
- E♭5
- F♭♭6
- G♭♭7
- A♭, the tonic
- Other scale notes
Progressions
Common chord progressions in A♭ minor
The same patterns of A chord written by its place in the key: upper case for major (IV), lower case for minor (vi), ° for diminished. turn up in thousands of songs. Here they are in this key, ready to play.
Minor pop
i – VI – III – VII
- A♭m
- F♭
- C♭
- G♭
The pop axis rotated to start on the relative minor — same four chords, darker centre.
Heard in Zombie, Numb, Despacito
Minor pop in every keyAndalusian cadence
i – VII – VI – V
- A♭m
- G♭
- F♭
- E♭
A stepwise walk down to a major V borrowed from harmonic minor. Flamenco's signature move.
Heard in Hit the Road Jack, Runaway, Stray Cat Strut
Andalusian cadence in every keyMinor ii–V–i
iiø7 – V7 – i7
- B♭m7♭5
- E♭7
- A♭m7
Half-diminished ii, dominant V7 and back to the minor tonic.
Heard in Blue Bossa, Autumn Leaves
Minor ii–V–i in every key
Related keys
Keys close to A♭ minor
Keys that share most of their notes sound natural side by side, which is why songs so often move between them.
- Relative major: same notesC♭ majorC♭, D♭m, E♭m, F♭, G♭, A♭m and B♭°
- Parallel major: same tonicA♭ majorA♭, B♭m, Cm, D♭, E♭, Fm and G°
- One step anticlockwiseD♭ minorPlayed and usually written as C♯ minorC♯m, D♯°, E, F♯m, G♯m, A and B
- One step clockwiseE♭ minorE♭m, F°, G♭, A♭m, B♭m, C♭ and D♭
Capo
Play A♭ minor with a capo
A♭ minor's main chords are A♭m, D♭m, E♭m and F♭. With the A clamp across all six strings at one fret. It raises every open string, so familiar shapes play in a higher key. on The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. 4, play them as Em, Am, Bm and C: three of the four are A chord played near the nut that uses some unfretted strings, such as the open G, C or Em..
Two spellings
A♭ minor and G♯ minor
A♭ minor has seven flats, G♯ minor five sharps. A♭ minor spells two notes unusually: C♭ (played as B) and F♭ (played as E). Most players read G♯ minor, because it needs fewer A sharp (♯), flat (♭) or natural sign that raises, lowers or restores a note..
A♭ minor
7 flats
A♭m, B♭°, C♭, D♭m, E♭m, F♭ and G♭
G♯ minor
5 sharps
G♯m, A♯°, B, C♯m, D♯m, E and F♯
Both sound exactly the same and use the same The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step.. The spelling only matters when you read or write the music: each letter appears once in a key, so the notes keep the names the key gives them. See the chords in G♯ minor.
Questions
A♭ minor, in short
- What chords are in the key of A♭ minor?
- The seven chords in A♭ minor are A♭m, B♭°, C♭, D♭m, E♭m, F♭ and G♭. A♭ minor has seven flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭ and F♭.
- What is the relative major of A♭ minor?
- C♭ major. It uses the same seven notes and the same The sharps or flats written at the start of each line of music, telling you which notes the key changes. as A♭ minor, so the two keys share all their chords.
- How many flats are in A♭ minor?
- A♭ minor has seven flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭ and F♭.
- Which keys are next to A♭ minor on the circle of fifths?
- D♭ minor, written as C♯ minor (one step anticlockwise) and E♭ minor (one step clockwise). Their chords overlap most with A♭ minor's, which makes them the easiest keys to change to.
- Is A♭ minor the same as G♯ minor?
- They sound the same: every note and chord is played on the same The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step.. Only the spelling differs. A♭ minor has seven flats, G♯ minor five sharps. A♭ minor spells two notes unusually: C♭ (played as B) and F♭ (played as E). Most players read G♯ minor, because it needs fewer A sharp (♯), flat (♭) or natural sign that raises, lowers or restores a note..