Scale degrees · A♭ major
The ♯5 of A♭ is E
The ♯5 (sharp five, written #5) of A♭ (A flat, Ab) is E: an augmented fifth above the root.
A♭ — the root, 1E — the ♯5
How to find it
Count letters first, the root included: A, B, C, D, E. A 5th lands on E.
Then the sound: an augmented fifth is 8 semitones above A♭, which is exactly where E is — no sharp or flat needed.
Where you meet it
The ♯5 is the 5th of the augmented chord. Over a dominant the same key on the piano is usually written ♭13.
In A♭+:
A♭ · C · E
The ♯5 in every key
| Key | The ♯5 |
|---|---|
| C | G♯ |
| G | D♯ |
| D | A♯ |
| A | E♯ |
| E | B♯ |
| B | F𝄪 |
| F♯ | C𝄪 |
| D♭ | A |
| A♭ | E |
| E♭ | B |
| B♭ | F♯ |
| F | C♯ |
Every degree of A♭
Free on iPhone and Android
Name it before
you can count it.
Improvy trains every degree in all 12 keys — the 3, the ♭7, the ♯11 — until you see the note without working it out. A few minutes a day. Free to start; Pro is one payment, never a subscription.
Or try the 60-second test in your browser