A♭ major scale on guitar
The A♭ major scale has seven notes: A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F and G (1 2 3 4 5 6 7). The do-re-mi scale that every other scale is measured against. Bright and settled; it fits major and maj7 chords, and the other six modes are this scale started from a different note.
| Note | A♭ | B♭ | C | D♭ | E♭ | F | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | 1 (root) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Step to the next | whole | whole | half | whole | whole | whole | half |
5 positions to learn it in
On guitar a seven-note scale is learnt in five shapes, each built round one of the open chord shapes C, A, G, E and D. Together they cover the neck. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.
Chords that go with the A♭ major scale
The chords on each note of the scale that use only its notes. Play over any of them and every note fits; A♭ (A♭) is where it sounds at home.
| On the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (A♭) | A♭home | A♭maj7home |
| 2 (B♭) | B♭mrestless | B♭m7restless |
| 3 (C) | Cmhalf-light | Cm7half-light |
| 4 (D♭) | D♭the door | D♭maj7the door |
| 5 (E♭) | E♭the pull | E♭7the pull |
| 6 (F) | Fmthe shadow | Fm7the shadow |
| 7 (G) | Gdimthe edge | Gm7♭5the edge |
Scales with the same notes
Its relative minor is the F minor scale: the same notes, started from F.
The chords of this key, to hear and play: chords in the key of A♭ major.
Questions
What notes are in the A♭ major scale?
A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F and G. Its intervals from the root are 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, and the steps between its notes are W W H W W W H (W a whole step, H a half step).
What chords go with the A♭ major scale?
The chords made only of its notes: A♭, B♭m, Cm, D♭, E♭, Fm and Gdim, and as seventh chords A♭maj7, B♭m7, Cm7, D♭maj7, E♭7, Fm7 and Gm7♭5. A♭ is home: A♭ is the chord it sounds most settled over.
What is the relative minor of the A♭ major scale?
The F minor scale, which has the same notes started from F.
The major scale in every key
Other scales in A♭
G♯ minorG♯ minor pentatonicA♭ major pentatonicG♯ bluesG♯ DorianA♭ MixolydianA♭ LydianG♯ PhrygianG♯ harmonic minorG♯ melodic minorA♭ Phrygian dominant
Practise it on a sheet of your own in the practice sheet maker, with a metronome and a drone. Every scale: guitar scales. This scale on bass, ukulele, mandolin and banjo.