Ab5 chord (A flat power chord) on bass
Ab5 (A flat power chord) has two notes: A flat and E flat. Its formula is 1, 5.
How to play Ab5 on bass
Low notes close together sound muddy, so bass players spread a chord out and leave notes out. Forms with a 3rd or 7th sound clear from about the E string's 8th fret up, so they start there; root and 5th stays low. These forms put the root on the E string; the same shapes work from the A string.
Fingers: 1 on E, 3 on A.
Fingers: 1 on E, 3 on A, 3 on D.
Hear it and see every shape in ScaleSpace →
| Symbol | Ab5 |
|---|---|
| Also written | Ab(no3) |
| Notes | Ab Eb |
| Formula | 1 5 |
| Intervals | root, perfect fifth |
| Type | Power chord chord |
Ab5 across the neck
Bass · 4-string, tuned low to high: E, A, D, G. 24 frets.
- E string: fret 4 Ab (1), fret 11 Eb (5), fret 16 Ab (1), fret 23 Eb (5).
- A string: fret 6 Eb (5), fret 11 Ab (1), fret 18 Eb (5), fret 23 Ab (1).
- D string: fret 1 Eb (5), fret 6 Ab (1), fret 13 Eb (5), fret 18 Ab (1).
- G string: fret 1 Ab (1), fret 8 Eb (5), fret 13 Ab (1), fret 20 Eb (5).
Swipe the chart sideways to see all of it.
Questions
What notes are in the Ab5 chord?
Ab5 (A flat power chord) has two notes: A flat and E flat. Its formula is 1, 5. Ab is the root and Eb is the perfect fifth.
How do you play Ab5 on bass?
Bass players spread it out rather than strum it. The simplest form is the root and 5th: 1 5, root on the E string, fret 4. Fingers: 1 on E, 3 on A.
Is Ab5 major or minor?
Neither. Ab5 is only the root and the 5th, Ab and Eb, with no 3rd, so it fits under both Ab and G#m. That is why it sounds clean with distortion.