The scale’s notes are numbered from 1 to 7. Roman numerals are used to label the basic triad (1-3-5) chords built on each of those notes.
A♭ Minor
Chords in the key of
The notes of the A♭ minor scale are:
A♭ – B♭ – C♭* – D♭ – E♭ – F♭* – G♭
* Each scale degree must use a different letter name. Notes like C♭ + F♭ are used to preserve the correct scale structure, so intervals and chords are spelled correctly rather than replaced with enharmonic equivalents.
| i | ii° | III | iv | v | VI | VII |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A♭m | B♭dim | C♭ | D♭m | E♭m | F♭ | G♭ |
| A flat minor | B flat diminished | C flat major | D flat minor | E flat minor | F flat major | G flat major |
| A♭ - C♭ - E♭ | B♭ - D♭ - F♭ | C♭ - E♭ - G♭ | D♭ - F♭ - A♭ | E♭ - G♭ - B♭ | F♭ - A♭ - C♭ | G♭ - B♭ - D♭ |
Swipe to see all chords →
That’s the diatonic set. If you stay strictly inside the key, these are your friends. The pattern of naming chords for every minor key is:
Minor, Diminished, Major, Minor, Minor, Major, Major. Numerals in UPPERCASE (III, VI, VII) denote major chords, and numerals in lowercase (i, ii°, iv, v) denote minor chords.
A♭ Minor: Extended Chords
A♭ HARMONIC Minor : RESOLVING + cinematic
A♭ natural/diatonic minor often borrows the 7th note from A♭ harmonic minor; it’s just one semitone higher but creates and resolves tension far better than its diatonic counterpart.
This raises A♭ minor’s G♭ to G, which affects A♭ minor’s III, v, & VII chords:
| III+ | V | vii° |
|---|---|---|
| C♭aug | E♭ | Gdim |
| C flat augmented | E flat major | G diminished |
| C♭ - E♭ - G | E♭ - G - B♭ | G - B♭ - D♭ |
Swipe to see all chords →