The key of A flat major has four flats. For reference, here are the notes in the A flat major scale:
- A Flat
- B Flat
- C
- D Flat
- E Flat
- F
- G
All the chords in the key of A flat major are made up of these seven notes, and each note gets to be the root note for one of the chords, thus making seven triad chords in this key.
- A Flat Major
- B Flat Minor
- C Minor
- D Flat Major
- E Flat Major
- F Minor
- G Diminished
Note: In this article I’m using banjo chord charts that I created using Microsoft Paint. Here are all the banjo chord charts that are free to use personally and commercially under Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License.
I Chord — A Flat Major or A Flat Major Seventh
The first chord (I) in the key of A flat major is the A flat major chord. Below is my preferred way to play the A flat major chord on banjo.
The A flat major seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the I chord in the key of A flat major. Below is my favorite way to play the A flat major seventh chord.
ii Chord — B Flat Minor or B Flat Minor Seventh
The second chord (ii) in the key of A flat major is the B flat minor chord. Below is my preferred way to play the B flat minor chord on banjo.
The B flat minor seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the ii chord in the key of A flat major. Below is my favorite way to play the B flat minor seventh chord.
iii Chord — C Minor or C Minor Seventh
The third chord (iii) in the key of A flat major is the C minor chord. Below is my preferred way to play the C minor chord on banjo.
The C minor seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the iii chord in the key of A flat major. Below is my favorite way to play the C minor seventh chord.
IV Chord — D Flat Major or D Flat Major Seventh
The fourth chord (IV) in the key of A flat major is the D flat major chord. Below is my preferred way to play the D flat major chord on banjo.
The D flat major seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the IV chord in the key of A flat major. Below is my favorite way to play the D flat major seventh chord.
V Chord — E Flat Major or E Flat Dominant Seventh
The fifth chord (V) in the key of A flat major is the E flat major chord. Below is my preferred way to play the E flat major chord on banjo.
The E flat dominant seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the V chord in the key of A flat major. Below is my favorite way to play the E flat dominant seventh chord.
vi Chord — F Minor or F Minor Seventh
The sixth chord (vi) in the key of A flat major is the F minor chord. Below is my preferred way to play the F minor chord on banjo.
The F minor seventh chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the vi chord in the key of A flat major. Below is my favorite way to play the F minor seventh chord.
viidim Chord — G Diminished or G Minor Seventh Flat Five
The seventh chord (viidim) in the key of A flat major is the G diminished chord. Below is my preferred way to play the G diminished chord on banjo.
The G minor seventh flat five chord is the corresponding 7th chord for the viidim chord in the key of A flat major. Below is my favorite way to play the G minor seventh flat five chord.
Chord Progressions in the Key of A Flat Major
Here are 10 chord progressions in the key of A Flat Major that you can experiment with. I have included banjo tablature to make playing the chords easier for you.
1. A Flat Major, D Flat Major, E Flat Major
D| --1---1-----6---6-----8---8---
B| --1---1-----6---6-----8---8---
G| --1---1-----6---6-----8---8---
D| --1---1-----6---6-----8---8---
G| ------------------------------
2. A Flat Major, E Flat Major, F Minor, D Flat Major
D| --1---1-----8---8-----10--10----6---6---
B| --1---1-----8---8-----9---9-----6---6---
G| --1---1-----8---8-----10--10----6---6---
D| --1---1-----8---8-----10--10----6---6---
G| ----------------------------------------
3. A Flat Major, D Flat Major, A Flat Major, E Flat Major
D| --1---1-----6---6-----1---1-----8---8---
B| --1---1-----6---6-----1---1-----8---8---
G| --1---1-----6---6-----1---1-----8---8---
D| --1---1-----6---6-----1---1-----8---8---
G| ----------------------------------------
4. A Flat Major, C Minor, D Flat Major, F Minor
D| --1---1-----5---5-----6---6-----10--10--
B| --1---1-----4---4-----6---6-----9---9---
G| --1---1-----5---5-----6---6-----10--10--
D| --1---1-----5---5-----6---6-----10--10--
G| ----------------------------------------
5. F Minor, D Flat Major, A Flat Major, E Flat Major
D| --10--10----6---6-----1---1-----8---8---
B| --9---9-----6---6-----1---1-----8---8---
G| --10--10----6---6-----1---1-----8---8---
D| --10--10----6---6-----1---1-----8---8---
G| ----------------------------------------
6. D Flat Major, A Flat Major, E Flat Major, A Flat Major
D| --6---6-----1---1-----8---8-----1---1---
B| --6---6-----1---1-----8---8-----1---1---
G| --6---6-----1---1-----8---8-----1---1---
D| --6---6-----1---1-----8---8-----1---1---
G| ----------------------------------------
7. A Flat Major, F Minor, D Flat Major, E Flat Major
D| --1---1-----10--10----6---6-----8---8---
B| --1---1-----9---9-----6---6-----8---8---
G| --1---1-----10--10----6---6-----8---8---
D| --1---1-----10--10----6---6-----8---8---
G| ----------------------------------------
8. B Flat Minor, E Flat Major, A Flat Major, F Minor
D| --3---3-----8---8-----1---1-----10--10--
B| --2---2-----8---8-----1---1-----9---9---
G| --3---3-----8---8-----1---1-----10--10--
D| --3---3-----8---8-----1---1-----10--10--
G| ----------------------------------------
9. A Flat Major, D Flat Major, F Minor, E Flat Major
D| --1---1-----6---6-----10--10----8---8---
B| --1---1-----6---6-----9---9-----8---8---
G| --1---1-----6---6-----10--10----8---8---
D| --1---1-----6---6-----10--10----8---8---
G| ----------------------------------------
10. A Flat Major, B Flat Minor, C Minor, D Flat Major, E Flat Major
D| --1---1-----3---3-----5---5-----6---6-----8---8---
B| --1---1-----2---2-----4---4-----6---6-----8---8---
G| --1---1-----3---3-----5---5-----6---6-----8---8---
D| --1---1-----3---3-----5---5-----6---6-----8---8---
G| --------------------------------------------------
11. A Flat Major, D Flat Major, B Flat Minor, E Flat Major
D| --1---1-----6---6-----3---3-----8---8---
B| --1---1-----6---6-----2---2-----8---8---
G| --1---1-----6---6-----3---3-----8---8---
D| --1---1-----6---6-----3---3-----8---8---
G| ----------------------------------------
12. A Flat Major, E Flat Major, F Minor, C Minor, D Flat Major, A Flat Major, D Flat Major, E Flat Major
D| --1---1-----8---8-----10--10----5---5-----6---6-----1---1-----6---6-----8---8---
B| --1---1-----8---8-----9---9-----4---4-----6---6-----1---1-----6---6-----8---8---
G| --1---1-----8---8-----10--10----5---5-----6---6-----1---1-----6---6-----8---8---
D| --1---1-----8---8-----10--10----5---5-----6---6-----1---1-----6---6-----8---8---
G| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
