Major (Ionian) · A♭ · Guitar
The A♭ Major scale is A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G — formula 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, step pattern W–W–H–W–W–W–H. Use it over A♭maj7: it is the scale for the I chord (maj7) and any major-key tonic; the default over Imaj7 in a ii–V–I. Below, every note is marked on the fretboard in standard tuning; press play to hear it on a synthesized guitar while each note lights up, or tap any fret to sound that note.
Visualizer
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
Tap any note on the diagram to hear it. Play loops the scale up and down one octave in eighth notes (switch Loop off for a single pass) in the position starting at fret 4. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Reference
| Degree | Note | Interval from A♭ | Step to next |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A♭ | unison (0 semitones) | W |
| 2 | B♭ | major 2nd (2 semitones) | W |
| 3 | C | major 3rd (4 semitones) | H |
| 4 | D♭ | perfect 4th (5 semitones) | W |
| 5 | E♭ | perfect 5th (7 semitones) | W |
| 6 | F | major 6th (9 semitones) | W |
| 7 | G | major 7th (11 semitones) | H |
Chord it implies: A♭maj7 (A♭ – C – E♭ – G). Use it for: the I chord (maj7) and any major-key tonic; the default over Imaj7 in a ii–V–I.
Common questions
A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G. As scale degrees: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. It has 7 notes.
A♭ Major fits A♭maj7 and, more generally, the I chord (maj7) and any major-key tonic; the default over Imaj7 in a ii–V–I.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 — the step pattern from the root is W W H W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Start on the root A♭ on the low E string at fret 4, and play the one-octave position shown: E-string fret 4, E-string fret 6, E-string fret 8, A-string fret 4, A-string fret 6, A-string fret 8, D-string fret 5, D-string fret 6. Every A♭ on the neck is a root, so the same shape works in every position where the notes are marked.
Keep going
Same scale on piano · all Major pages: Major (Ionian) hub · practise it in context: ii–V–I trainer · theory: chord-scale theory.
Other scales from A♭