A♭ MajorScale · A♭ Ionian

Formula

W W H W W W H 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
The family

A♭ Major on the chromatic circle

A♭ Major is the 1st mode of the Major family. Pick another note on the circle to open the scale that starts there.

W W H W W W H 1 A♭I Ionian 2 B♭II Dorian 3 CIII Phrygian 4 D♭IV Lydian 5 E♭V Mixolydian 6 FVI Aeolian 7 GVII Locrian A♭ Ionian
The whole neck

A♭ Major across the fretboard

Every note of the scale up to the 16th fret, named by its degree. The root is a ring. Step through the five CAGED positions one at a time in the scale library.

3 5 7 9 12 15 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Harmony

Chords in A♭ Major

Stack every other note of the scale from each degree and you get its chords. Open any of them in the chord library.

DegreeChordNotes
IA♭maj7A♭ C E♭ G
iiB♭m7B♭ D♭ F A♭
iiiCm7C E♭ G B♭
IVD♭maj7D♭ F A♭ C
VE♭7E♭ G B♭ D♭
viFm7F A♭ C E♭
vii°Gm7♭5G B♭ D♭ F
Context

Where A♭ Major fits

Plain major: pop, folk, rock and classical melodies in major keys. Over a maj7 chord, pass through the 4th rather than rest on it.

A♭ Major is mode 1 of the major family. The same notes played from each of its other degrees give the family's other modes:

Move one note by a half step and you get a different scale:

Major scale in every key

A♭ Major scale questions

What notes are in the A♭ Major scale?

A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G. As degrees from the root: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.

What is the A♭ Major scale formula?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7, or in steps between the notes, W W H W W W H (W is a whole step of two frets, H a half step of one fret, 1½ three frets).

How do you play the A♭ Major scale on guitar?

This page draws every note of A♭ Major up to the 16th fret, each named by its degree with the root as a ring. To learn it a few frets at a time, open it in the scale library and step through its five CAGED positions, from the G shape to the E shape to the D shape to the C shape to the A shape.

What chords are in the A♭ Major scale?

A♭maj7 (I), B♭m7 (ii), Cm7 (iii), D♭maj7 (IV), E♭7 (V), Fm7 (vi), Gm7♭5 (vii°).

When is the A♭ Major scale used?

Plain major: pop, folk, rock and classical melodies in major keys. Over a maj7 chord, pass through the 4th rather than rest on it.