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Piano chord

A♭A flat major

  • A♭1
  • C3
  • E♭5
Notes
3
Positions
3
Span
7semitones
Fingers
1-3-5

How to play A♭ on piano

  1. Find A♭: it is the root and the lowest note of the chord in root position.
  2. Right hand: 1 on A♭, 3 on C, 5 on E♭.
  3. Or with the left hand: 5 on A♭, 3 on C, 1 on E♭.
  4. Press the keys together, with curved fingers and a loose wrist, and let them ring.
  1. A♭ on piano, Root position: A♭ C E♭A♭, C, E♭CA♭E♭315
    A♭ on piano, Root position: A♭ C E♭A♭, C, E♭CA♭E♭351

    Root position · A♭ – C – E♭

  2. A♭ on piano, 1st inversion: C E♭ A♭C, E♭, A♭CE♭A♭125
    A♭ on piano, 1st inversion: C E♭ A♭C, E♭, A♭CE♭A♭531

    1st inversion · C – E♭ – A♭

  3. A♭ on piano, 2nd inversion: E♭ A♭ CE♭, A♭, CCE♭A♭513
    A♭ on piano, 2nd inversion: E♭ A♭ CE♭, A♭, CCE♭A♭152

    2nd inversion · E♭ – A♭ – C

Numbers on the keys are fingers: 1 thumb, 2 index, 3 middle, 4 ring, 5 little finger.

A♭ inversions

Here are all 3 positions of A♭. The notes stay the same, only their order changes: root position has A♭ at the bottom, and every inversion starts on the next chord tone.

Chords that go with A♭

The other chords of A flat major, the key where A♭ is home (I). Songs in this key move between them.

A♭ with two hands

A full sound: the left hand plays A♭ an octave lower, the right hand plays A♭–C–E♭.

A♭ with two handsA♭, A♭, C, E♭CA♭A♭E♭3515

A♭ on other instruments

About the A♭ chord

The 3 notes of A flat major are A♭ (1), C (3), E♭ (5). A major triad: a major third and a perfect fifth over A♭. It is the most common chord in music and sounds bright and stable.

Put your thumb on A♭ and count up: A♭ – C – E♭. The whole chord spans 7 semitones from bottom to top. That fits inside an octave, so one hand covers A♭ without stretching.

The inversions of A♭ keep the same notes in a new order. In the 1st inversion the bass is C (C–E♭–A♭). In the 2nd inversion the bass is E♭ (E♭–A♭–C).

Take G♭ out of A♭7 and you get A♭.

A♭ belongs to E flat major (IV), A flat major (I), D flat major (V), C minor (VI), C sharp minor (V).

Questions

What notes are in the A♭ chord?

A♭ (A flat major) has 3 notes: A♭ (1), C (3), E♭ (5).

How many inversions does A♭ have?

A♭ can be played in 3 positions: Root position (A♭–C–E♭); 1st inversion (C–E♭–A♭); 2nd inversion (E♭–A♭–C).

What is the difference between A♭ and A♭7?

Take G♭ out of A♭7 and you get A♭.

Can I play A♭ with one hand?

Yes. In root position A♭ spans 7 semitones, less than an octave, so one hand holds it easily.

More A♭ chords