A♭ Major Scale

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A♭ Major Scale starts and ends with A♭. The relative minor of A♭ Major is F minor. Both of these keys have B♭, E♭, A♭ and D♭ .

A♭ Major Key Signature

Here’s the key signature for A♭ Major – B♭, E♭, A♭ and D♭.

key signature of A♭ Major in treble clef.. This is also the key signature of F minor, the relative minor of A♭ Major.
key signature of A♭ Major in bass clef.. This is also the key signature of F minor, the relative minor of A♭ Major.
key signature of A♭ Major in alto clef.. This is also the key signature of F minor, the relative minor of A♭ Major.
key signature of A♭ Major in tenor clef. This is also the key signature of F minor, the relative minor of A♭ Major.

Notes in the Scale of A♭ Major

When we play a scale, we usually start off with an ascending scale (the notes get higher), followed by descending scale (the notes get lower).

Ascending scale of A♭ Major: A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G, A♭

Descending scale of A♭ Major: A♭, G, F, E♭, D♭, C, B♭, A♭

Degrees of the Scale

Degrees of the scale refers to the number we assign to each note of a scale. When we are assigning degrees of a scale, we look at the scale in ascending order. Here are the notes for the various degrees of the A♭ Major scale:

1st degree: A♭

2nd degree: B♭

3rd degree: C

4th degree: D♭

5th degree: E♭

6th degree: F

7th degree: G

Technical Names of Notes in A♭ Major

Instead of using the degree of the scale, we can also use technical names of notes.

tonic – A♭

supertonic – B♭

mediant – C

subdominant – D♭

dominant – E♭

submediant – F

leading note – G

Semitones and Tones

In all major scales, they follow this:

Pairs of notesTone or semitone apart?
1st -> 2ndtone
2nd -> 3rdtone
3rd -> 4thsemitone
4th -> 5thtone
5th -> 6thtone
6th -> 7thtone
7th -> 8thsemitone

Most adjacent pairs of notes in the major scale are a tone apart, except for the 3rd to 4th note, and the 7th to the 8th note. This doesn’t apply just to A♭ Major scale, but for ALL major scales. By knowing the distance between the notes in a Major scale, we can form any major scale even if we do not know its key signature.

In this case, the semitones are found here:

  • From C to D♭ (3rd to 4th note)
  • From G to A♭ (7th to 8th note)

A♭ Major Scale on different clefs.

Here’s how the A♭ Major scales look like in treble clef (without key signature). I’ve also included the fingerings:

A flat Major ascending and descending scales in treble clef with fingerings included.

Here’s how the A♭ Major scales look like in bass clef (without key signature). I’ve also included the fingerings:

A flat Major ascending and descending scales in bass clef with fingerings included.

Here’s how the A♭ Major scales look like in alto clef.

A flat Major ascending and descending scales in alto clef.

Here’s how the A♭ Major scales look like in tenor clef (without key signature).

A flat Major ascending and descending scales in tenor clef.

How to play the A♭ Major scale on the piano

The fingerings for the right hand part of the A♭ Major scale are:

A♭ -2 /3 (only use 2nd finger for the lowest A flat note, the rest of the A flat should be played with the 3rd or middle finger)

B♭- 3/4 (only use the 3rd finger for the lowest B flat, the rest of the B flat should be played with the 4th finger)

C- 1

D♭ -2

E♭ – 3

F- 1

G – 2

The fingerings for the left hand part of the A♭ Major scale are:

A♭ -3

B♭- 2

C- 1

D♭ -4

E♭ – 3

F- 2

G – 1

Categories: keys, music theory