Ab6 Ukulele Chord

How to play Ab6 on ukulele, step by step

1. Index finger: press flat across the G to E strings at fret 1
2. Ring finger: 3rd fret, C string
3. Pinky finger: 3rd fret, A string
4. Strum all four strings.

Nothing in this shape is specific to A flat. It is the movable sixth grip at its lowest position: slide it up one fret and the same fingers play A6, up three and they play Bb6.

If it sounds muddy or buzzy

Notes under the barre drop out

The index lies across three strings at the 1st fret, the stiffest spot on the neck. Keep it right behind the fret wire and roll it slightly onto its edge.

The A string is quiet

The pinky at the 3rd fret carries the fifth. Press with the fingertip and sound the string alone before strumming the chord.

The chord sounds choked

Nylon strings near the nut need firm, accurate pressure. Squeeze from the thumb behind the neck rather than clamping the whole hand.

What makes it an Ab6

A♭ · C · E♭ · F | 1 3 5 6

Ab6 is an A flat major triad (A flat, C, E flat) with a sixth added: the F, nine half steps above the root. Nothing is taken away, so the chord still sounds like A flat, just rounder and softer.

The same four notes read from F spell Fm7. A ukulele has no bass string to pick the name, so the surrounding chords do. A flat is a horn and piano key, so a ukulele player usually meets this chord in jazz and soul charts rather than in songbook keys.

Ab6 vs Abmaj7

Ab6 adds an F to the A flat triad; Abmaj7 adds a G. A whole step below the root against a half step below it: one settles, the other hangs.

Both belong to the flat key world of horns and keys. When a chart in A flat wants a final chord that does not push anywhere, the sixth is the usual choice.