A♭ major (A♭) chord on banjo

The A♭ major chord (A♭) is a major triad, made of three notes: A♭ – C – E♭. The same chord with a different spelling: G♯ major (G♯).

Dots show:

Basic shapemedium

Position 4medium

Position 8medium

Tap a string on a diagram to hear just that string. The sound is generated in your browser with a physical string model.

Chord finder Transposer Tuner

What the A♭ chord sounds like

A major triad sounds stable and bright: root, major third and perfect fifth. Most songs are built on major chords – in a major key, chords I, IV and V are all major.

Notes of the A♭ chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	A♭	root
3	C	major third (4 semitones)
5	E♭	perfect fifth (7 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Basic shape

String 1 (D): fret 1, little finger (E♭4)
String 2 (B): fret 1, ring finger (C4)
String 3 (G): fret 1, middle finger (A♭3)
String 4 (D): fret 1, index finger (E♭3)

Position 4

String 1 (D): fret 6, little finger (A♭4)
String 2 (B): fret 4, index finger (E♭4)
String 3 (G): fret 5, middle finger (C4)
String 4 (D): fret 6, ring finger (A♭3)

Position 8

String 1 (D): fret 10, little finger (C5)
String 2 (B): fret 9, middle finger (A♭4)
String 3 (G): fret 8, index finger (E♭4)
String 4 (D): fret 10, ring finger (C4)

Five-string banjo in open G tuning (g D G B D). The diagram shows the four long strings; the short 5th string (g) rings open – avoid it when G is not in the chord. In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Which keys is it in?

The A♭ chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

A♭ major: I (tonic)
D♭ major: V (dominant)
E♭ major: IV (subdominant)
B♭ minor: VII
F minor: III
C minor: VI

Similar chords and substitutes

If A♭ is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

Fm – relative minor: two shared notes, a common stand-in for the tonic
Cm – mediant minor (iii): two shared notes
A♭maj7 – a softer, jazzier tonic colour
A♭sus4 – suspended version that resolves back to this chord

Richer versions

A♭7 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
A♭maj7 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
A♭6 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
A♭add9 – the same chord plus 1 colour note

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the A♭ chord?

A♭, C, E♭. The root is A♭; the intervals of the other notes from the root: major third, perfect fifth.

What is the easiest way to play A♭ on banjo?

The easiest shape above is “Basic shape”. We show 3 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck.

How do I read the chord diagram?

Strings run from the lowest (left) to the highest (right) – tick “Left-handed” to mirror it. Rows are frets; a number at the side shows the starting fret. Dots are fingers (1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little), a long bar is a barre, × means don't play that string and ○ means play it open.

How is the A♭ chord written?

The chord symbol is A♭ (also written Ab), and its full name is A♭ major.