A♭ Major CAGED Chord Shapes: All 5 Positions on Guitar
A♭ major is A♭, C and E♭. The CAGED system gives five shapes for it up the neck: the Position 3 from the 1st fret, the Position 4 from the 4th fret, the Position 5 from the 6th fret, the Position 1 from the 8th fret and the Position 2 from the 11th fret. None of them is an open chord, so each one is a barre or a partial shape.
Keys
CAGED Chords — A♭
Triads — A♭
Root position
First inversion
Second inversion
All inversions
The notes of A♭
A♭ is a major triad: root, major third and fifth (1 3 5), which is a major third (four frets) with a minor third (three frets) on top. Every shape below is those three notes, doubled in different octaves.
It's the same pitch as G major; this page uses A♭ because it's spelled with fewer sharps or flats.
How the five shapes connect
From the bottom of the neck up, the shapes run Position (1), Position (4), Position (6), Position (8) and Position (11). Each one starts where the last one's top notes are, so playing them in order moves one chord up the whole fretboard. After the Position 2, the Position 3 comes round again twelve frets higher.
The Position 5 and Position 1 share 3 notes (E♭ on the G string at fret 8, A♭ on the B string at fret 9 and C on the high e string at fret 8), which is the hinge between them.
Where the root, A♭, sits in each shape: Position 3: low E and G; Position 4: low E, D and high e; Position 5: D and B; Position 1: A and B; Position 2: A and G. Find that string first and the rest of the shape falls into place around it.
Where A♭ appears
A♭ belongs to 8 keys: V in D♭ major, IV in E♭ major and I in A♭ major; VI in C minor, III in F minor and VII in B♭ minor; VI in C harmonic minor and V in C harmonic minor.
None of them is one of the open-string guitar keys (C, G, D, A, E and their relative minors), so A♭ is more often met in piano-led songs, horn arrangements and with a capo.
Open strings and capo options for A♭
No open string is a note of A♭, so every voicing on this page is fully fretted and there's nothing to let ring.
To get an open-sounding voicing, use a capo: the G shape with the capo at fret 1, the E shape with the capo at fret 4 and the D shape with the capo at fret 6.
Closely related chords
The closest chords to A♭ share two of its three notes: its relative minor and the chords a fourth and a fifth away, which are its neighbours in A♭ major.
A♭ CAGED FAQs
What notes are in a A♭ chord?
A♭, C and E♭: the root, major third and fifth (1 3 5).
What are the CAGED shapes for A♭ major?
the Position 3 from the 1st fret, the Position 4 from the 4th fret, the Position 5 from the 6th fret, the Position 1 from the 8th fret and the Position 2 from the 11th fret. Position 3 is the lowest; the Position 3 repeats twelve frets higher.
Where is the easiest A♭ chord on guitar?
The Position 3 from the 1st fret is the lowest. Most players start with the E-shape or A-shape barre, then learn the others.
Related
Learn more
The CAGED system explained covers how the five shapes are built and linked. The CAGED guitar lessons set out what to learn next, and the CAGED library has every major and minor chord.