Chords in the Key of Ab Major
Every diatonic triad and seventh chord in Ab major, with the progressions built from them. Free. No sign-up.
Key facts
Diatonic triads
Seventh chords
Stack one more scale tone on each triad and you get the seventh chords — same key, more color.
| Degree | Chord | Quality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | Abmaj7 | major 7th | Ab · C · Eb · G |
| ii7 | Bbm7 | minor 7th | Bb · Db · F · Ab |
| iii7 | Cm7 | minor 7th | C · Eb · G · Bb |
| IVmaj7 | Dbmaj7 | major 7th | Db · F · Ab · C |
| V7 | Eb7 | dominant 7th | Eb · G · Bb · Db |
| vi7 | Fm7 | minor 7th | F · Ab · C · Eb |
| viiø7 | Gm7b5 | half-diminished | G · Bb · Db · F |
Common progressions in Ab major
I–V–vi–IV
Ab – Eb – Fm – Db
The four-chord pop loop — a huge share of modern radio runs on it.
I–IV–V
Ab – Db – Eb
The three-chord workhorse behind blues, folk, and early rock and roll.
ii–V–I
Bbm – Eb – Ab
The jazz cadence — the strongest pull back home in the key.
I–vi–IV–V
Ab – Fm – Db – Eb
The '50s doo-wop turnaround, still everywhere in ballads.
How the key of Ab major works
Ab Major carries four flats (Bb, Eb, Ab and Db). The scale runs Ab–Bb–C–Db–Eb–F–G, and stacking every other note of that scale builds the seven chords above — every chord tone comes from those same seven notes.
F Minor is the relative minor: identical key signature, identical seven chords. A song that treats Fm — the vi chord here — as home base is in F minor, even though its chord inventory matches this page exactly.
The parallel minor, G# Minor (listed here in its enharmonic spelling), keeps the same root but flattens the third, sixth, and seventh — its signature shifts to five sharps (F#, C#, G#, D# and A#). Borrowing chords across that line is where a lot of songwriting color comes from.
Keep practicing
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