A♭ minor (A♭m) chord on mandolin

Looking for the A♭m chord on mandolin? It is a minor triad, made of three notes: A♭ – C♭ – E♭. The same chord with a different spelling: G♯ minor (G♯m).

Dots show:

Basic shapemedium

Position 4medium

Position 6easy

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♭m chord sounds like

A minor triad differs from a major one only in the third: it has a minor third, which gives it a darker, sadder colour. In a major key, chords ii, iii and vi are minor.

Notes of the A♭m chord

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

How to play it – with fingering

Basic shape, barre at fret 1

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

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 1; your other fingers press the higher frets.

Position 4

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

Position 6, barre at fret 6

String 1 (E): fret 7, middle finger (C♭6)
String 2 (A): fret 6, index finger (E♭5)
String 3 (D): fret 6, index finger (A♭4)
String 4 (G): fret 8, ring finger (E♭4)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 6; your other fingers press the higher frets.

Tuning: G D A E, like a violin; every note is a pair of strings that you fret together. In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Which keys is it in?

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

E♭ minor: iv (subdominant)
G♭ major: ii

Similar chords and substitutes

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

Substitutes (by function)

B – relative major: two shared notes
E – the major chord a major third below: two shared notes
A♭m7 – a fuller, softer minor colour

Richer versions

A♭m7 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
A♭m6 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
A♭m9 – the same chord plus 2 colour notes

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the A♭m chord?

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

What is the easiest way to play A♭m on mandolin?

The easiest shape above is “Position 6”, rated easy. We show 4 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♭m chord written?

The chord symbol is A♭m (also written Abm), and its full name is A♭ minor.