A♭ major scale

A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G A♭

• Key signature4 flats
• Relative minorF minor
• Parallel minorA♭ minor
• StepsW W H W W W H

A♭ major scale on the staff

Here is one octave of the A♭ major scale going up, written with the key signature (four flats: B♭, E♭, A♭ and D♭). Every note on those lines and spaces is played sharp or flat, so the notes themselves need no extra signs.

A♭ major scale on the piano

Scale degrees

A♭ major key signature

The key signature sits right after the clef at the start of every line. A♭ major has four flats: B♭, E♭, A♭ and D♭. They are written in the standard order, which is the same in every key with flats.

Chords in the key of A♭ major

Build a chord on each note of the scale using only notes from the scale and you get the chords of the key. The Roman numeral says which scale degree the chord sits on; capitals are major chords, lowercase are minor, and ° means diminished.

About the key of A♭ major

A♭ major has four flats: B♭, E♭, A♭ and D♭. It is a rich, soft key that composers often chose for slow, songlike keyboard music. Pianists find it comfortable because the scale lies well under the hand. Its relative minor is F minor.

Well-known music in A♭ major:

• Polonaise in A♭ major, Op. 53, Heroic (Chopin)
• Liebestraum No. 3 (Liszt)

Nearby keys

• Relative: F minor
• One sharp more: E♭ major
• One flat more: D♭ major

Check yourself

All major scales

• C major
• G major
• D major
• A major
• E major
• B major
• F♯ major
• C♯ major
• F major
• B♭ major
• E♭ major
• A♭ major
• D♭ major
• G♭ major

See also: the circle of fifths, key signatures, all major scales explained.