Skip to content

A♭ major scale

ModeIonian · 7 notes · A♭ + B♭ + D♭ + E♭

A♭major

KeyboardRight hand · 1 = thumb

RootIn scale

Fingering guideOne octave · both hands

Crossing
Fingering for A♭ major, going up
HandA♭B♭CD♭E♭FGA♭
Right hand341thumb under231thumb under23
Left hand32144 over32133 over

1 thumb · 2 index · 3 middle · 4 ring · 5 little

Right hand: the thumb tucks under onto C, then the thumb tucks under onto F. Left hand: finger 4 crosses over onto D♭, then finger 3 crosses over onto A♭.

Chords in the key

  • Open
  • Open
  • Open
  • Open
  • Open
  • Open
  • Open
Hand
Tempo
100 BPM

How to read a scale

Steps, degrees, fingers.

  1. The step pattern

    Every scale is a pattern of whole and half steps. A♭ major goes W–W–H–W–W–W–H.

  2. The degrees

    Number the notes from the root: 1 A♭, 2 B♭, 3 C, 4 D♭, 5 E♭, 6 F, 7 G. The degrees stay the same in every key, so a pattern learned in A♭ works in any other.

  3. The fingering

    Right hand: the thumb tucks under onto C, then the thumb tucks under onto F. Left hand: finger 4 crosses over onto D♭, then finger 3 crosses over onto A♭. Practise the crossings slowly; once they're smooth, raise the tempo.

All 216 scales

Every scale and mode on every root, each with its own page.

C

D♭

D

E♭

E

F

G♭

G

A♭

A

B♭

B

Practise it on a real keyboard.

Plug in a MIDI keyboard: the Melodio app shows every scale with its fingering and chords, and names what you play. Free, offline.

Download Melodio

Windows · macOS · Linux