Chord & FretHarmonic field of Ab major
The harmonic field of Ab major is the set of seven chords born from the Ab major scale — one on each of its notes. The table shows each in two versions: the triad (the three-note chord) and the seventh chord (the same chord with a fourth note, the seventh, that enriches it).
Notes: Ab – Bb – C – Db – Eb – F – G| Degree | Triad | Seventh | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Ab | Abmaj7Abmaj7Abmaj7Abmaj7 | tonic |
| ii | Bbm | Bbm7Bbm7Bbm7Bbm7 | subdominant |
| iii | Cm | Cm7Cm7Cm7Cm7 | tonic |
| IV | Db | Dbmaj7Dbmaj7Dbmaj7Dbmaj7 | subdominant |
| V | Eb | Eb7Eb7Eb7Eb7 | dominant |
| vi | Fm | Fm7Fm7Fm7Fm7 | tonic |
| vii° | G° | Gm7b5 | dominant |
The roman numerals mark the chord's position in the scale: I is the first degree, V the fifth. Uppercase = major chord; lowercase = minor; ° = diminished.
Tonic chords stabilize and rest; subdominant chords prepare motion; dominant chords build the tension that asks for resolution.
The tonic chord on all four instruments
In Chord & Fret, open the Circle of Fifths, pick Ab major and hear every degree — triads and sevenths, with fretboard positions and the key's secondary dominants. Open in Chord & Fret →