Do you know which notes are in the A flat major chord? This article will show you three ways to play this chord on the piano.
What Are the Notes of the A Flat Major Chord?
The symbol of the A flat major chord is Ab.
The notes of the Ab chord are Ab – C – Eb.
The Ab chord is a triad because it has three notes: root (Ab), major third (C), and perfect fifth (Eb).
How to Play the A Flat Major Chord on the Piano?
Below you can see how to play the notes of the Ab major chord on the piano in root position:
You can see that the first note from the left is Ab (the root), the second note is C (the major third), and the third note is Eb (the perfect fifth).
What is the Root Note of the A Flat Major Chord?
Assuming that you are playing the Ab chord in root position the lowest note is Ab.
How Can You Memorize the A Flat Major Chord?
Here is how to remember the notes of the A flat major chord:
- Start from the first note of the chord (the root) that for the Ab major chord is Ab.
- To find the second note of the chord calculate a major third from the root (C).
- Then to find the third note of the chord calculate the perfect fifth from the root (Eb).
This applies if you are playing the Ab major chord in root position.
What is the 1st Inversion of the Ab Major Chord?
The 1st inversion of the Ab chord starts with the note C.
The image below shows how to play the notes of the Ab major chord on the piano in the first inversion:
In the 1st inversion, you shift the root of the Ab chord (Ab) one octave up compared to the root position.
The notes of the Ab chord in the 1st inversion are C – Eb – Ab.
How Do You Play the 2nd Inversion of the Ab Major Chord?
The 2nd inversion of the Ab chord starts with the note Eb.
Below you can see how to play the notes of the second inversion of the Ab major chord on the piano:
In the 2nd inversion, you also shift the third of the Ab chord (C) up one octave.
The notes of the 2nd inversion of the Ab chord are Eb – Ab – C.
Also, considering that the Ab chord is a triad (it consists of three notes) there is no 3rd inversion because it would be the same as the root position.
What Are Other A Flat Chords?
The following articles show you how to play other Ab chords: