Introduction

The A♭ Harmonic Major scale contains seven notes: A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F♭, and G. It follows the whole-step / half-step pattern W-W-H-W-H-A2-H.

A♭ Harmonic Major Scale Notes

Degree	Name	Note	Interval
1	Tonic	A♭	P1
2	Supertonic	B♭	M2
3	Mediant	C	M3
4	Subdominant	D♭	P4
5	Dominant	E♭	P5
6	Submediant	F♭	m6
7	Leading Tone	G	M7
8	Octave	A♭	—

Key Signature

The key of Ab Harmonic Major has 4 flats.

B♭E♭A♭D♭

Order of flats

Flats are added in a fixed order — the reverse of the sharp order. Each new flat key adds the next flat on the list.

B♭E♭A♭D♭G♭C♭F♭

Mnemonic: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’ Father

Parallel and Relative Keys

Every harmonic major scale has two close cousins. The parallel key shares the same root note but flips the mode (major ↔ minor). The relative key shares the exact same notes and key signature, but starts on a different tonic — three semitones down. Both relationships matter for songwriting: borrowing chords from the parallel key adds emotional color, and pivoting to the relative key is a smooth way to change the mood of a section without changing keys on paper.

Parallel key: Ab Minor Scale — same root note (Ab), opposite mode. The third, sixth, and seventh degrees shift by a half-step. See also the Ab Minor Chord.

Relative key: F Minor Scale — same key signature, different tonic. Ab Harmonic Major and F Minor use the same seven notes; the difference is which note feels like “home.” See also the F Minor Chord.

Chords in the Key of A♭ Harmonic Major Scale

These are the diatonic triads built on each degree of the A♭ Harmonic Major Scale:

C

D

E

F

G

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

A

B

I — A♭ Major (major)

Degree	Numeral	Chord	Quality
1	I	A♭ Major	Major
2	ii	B♭ Minor	Minor
3	iii	C Minor	Minor
4	IV	D♭ Major	Major
5	V	E♭ Major	Major
6	vi	F Minor	Minor
7	vii°	G Diminished	Diminished

A♭ Harmonic Major Scale — Frequently Asked Questions

What notes are in the Ab Harmonic Major Scale?

The Ab Harmonic Major Scale contains seven notes: Ab – Bb – C – Db – Eb – Fb – G. The notes table above shows each note with its scale degree and interval from the root.

How many sharps or flats does Ab Harmonic Major have?

The key of Ab Harmonic Major has 4 flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭. Flats are added in a fixed order — B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, F♭ — the reverse of the sharp order.

What is the relative minor of Ab Harmonic Major?

The relative minor of Ab Harmonic Major is F Minor. Both scales share the same key signature and the same seven notes — the difference is which note feels like "home." That's why a song in C major and a song in A minor look identical on the staff but feel completely different.

What is the parallel minor of Ab Harmonic Major?

The parallel minor of Ab Harmonic Major is Ab Minor. "Parallel" means same root, opposite mode — the third, sixth, and seventh are all a half-step lower in the minor version. Modal interchange (borrowing chords from the parallel key) is one of the most useful tricks in pop and jazz writing.

What does the Ab Harmonic Major Scale sound like?

The Ab Harmonic Major Scale has a distinctive sound shaped by its specific interval pattern. Listen to the audio playback above to hear the character on every note.

Explore More

Harmonic Major Scale in Other Keys

C C#Db D D#Eb E F F#Gb G G#A A#Bb B Cb

Browse all Harmonic Major Scales →All Ab Scales →Learn about major scales →

Related Lessons

Keep going with the Harmonic Major scale — these pages cover the underlying theory, the connected reference material, and the practice tools that work with this scale.

A♭ Harmonic Major Scale