Chords
Ab Minor
Ab · Cb · Eb
The minor triad — a root, a minor third and a perfect fifth. Stable, but shaded.
Also written Abmin · Ab-
Ab Minor
Ab · Cb · Eb
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Ab3 · Cb3 · Eb4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Ab Minor (Abm) contains the notes Ab · Cb · Eb, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built
Inversions
An inversion of Ab Minor puts a chord tone other than Ab in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales Ab Minor belongs to.
In which keys
Ab Minor is diatonic to 7 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
Ab Minor fits inside these scales, each built on Ab.
- Ab Minor PentatonicAb · Cb · Db · Eb · Gb
- Ab Major BluesAb · Bb · Cb · C · Eb · F
- Ab MinorAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · Fb · Gb
- Ab Melodic MinorAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · F · G
- Ab Harmonic MinorAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · Fb · G
- Ab DorianAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · F · Gb
- Ab Vietnamese 1Ab · Cb · Db · Eb · Fb
- Ab HirajoshiAb · Bb · Cb · Eb · Fb
Understanding the Ab Minor chord
Names and symbols
Abm is the chord symbol for Ab Minor; it is also written Abmin, Ab-.
Ab Minor and G# Minor are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. G# Minor
How it is built
On Ab the minor triad is Ab · Cb · Eb, stacking the intervals 1P · 3m · 5P. It is a major triad with its third lowered by a semitone, and that single change is the whole difference.
How it is used
It is the tonic of its own minor key and the ii, iii and vi of the relative major. The vi chord in particular is what makes the I–V–vi–IV progression work: it is the moment a bright progression turns inward without leaving the key.
Learn this properly
Chapter 10: Chords: Triads and SeventhsCommon questions
- What notes are in Abm?
- Abm contains Ab · Cb · Eb. Name any set of notes with the chord identifier.
- How do you build a minor chord?
- Stack a minor third and then a major third above the root — the reverse of a major triad.
- Why do minor chords sound sad?
- The minor third sits further from the simple overtone ratios than the major third, so the chord reads as darker. The association with sadness is learned, but the acoustic difference is real.
- What notes are in the Ab Minor chord?
- The Ab Minor chord contains the notes Ab · Cb · Eb: the root Ab with the intervals 1P, 3m, 5P stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally Ab, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the Ab Minor chord?
- Measured from Ab, the Ab Minor chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3m, 5P. The quality of the third and of the seventh, if there is one, is what gives the chord its character; the rest of the notes colour it. Every interval in the formula links to its own page, with its sound.