I–vi–ii–V · A♭ major
The I–vi–ii–V turnaround in A♭ major is A♭△7 – Fm7 – B♭m7 – E♭7. Over A♭△7 play Ionian (major) (A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G); Over Fm7 play Aeolian (F G A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭); Over B♭m7 play Dorian (B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G A♭); Over E♭7 play Mixolydian (E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C D♭). A♭ major is a common horn key, so A♭maj7 – Fm7 – B♭m7 – E♭7 turns up constantly at the end of standard forms.
Interactive trainer
Piano · A♭△7 with Ionian (major)
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano · Fm7 with Aeolian
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano · B♭m7 with Dorian
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano · E♭7 with Mixolydian
Guitar · standard tuning
Click any chord card to see its scale, and tap any key or fret to hear that note. Turn on “+ Arpeggios” or “+ Scales” and the guitar or piano plays the line live over the vamp, lighting each note on the diagram as it sounds. All audio is synthesized in your browser — nothing is recorded or copyrighted.
Reference
| Function | Chord | Chord tones (1–3–5–7) | Chord-scale | Scale notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I△ | A♭△7 | A♭ – C – E♭ – G | Ionian (major) | A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G |
| vi⁷ | Fm7 | F – A♭ – C – E♭ | Aeolian | F G A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ |
| ii⁷ | B♭m7 | B♭ – D♭ – F – A♭ | Dorian | B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G A♭ |
| V⁷ | E♭7 | E♭ – G – B♭ – D♭ | Mixolydian | E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C D♭ |
| Guide tones | A♭△7 | Fm7 | B♭m7 | E♭7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | C | A♭ | D♭ | G |
| 7th | G | E♭ | A♭ | D♭ |
How to practise this
1. Arpeggios in time. Loop the vamp at 70–90 bpm and play A♭△7, Fm7, B♭m7, E♭7 as 1–3–5–7 quarter notes, one chord per bar. Use the “+ Arpeggios” loop above to hear it played and copy the line.
2. Guide tones. Play only the 3rd and 7th of each chord: C–G → A♭–E♭ → D♭–A♭ → G–D♭. Notice that D♭, the 7th of E♭7, falls a half-step to C, the 3rd of A♭△7 — that is the resolution.
3. Chord-scales. Run Ionian (major) on A♭△7, Aeolian on Fm7, Dorian on B♭m7, Mixolydian on E♭7, then improvise keeping chord tones on beats 1 and 3.
4. Move it. When A♭ is clean, go to D♭ major — a fourth up — and keep going around the circle.
Common questions
A♭△7 – Fm7 – B♭m7 – E♭7. The I chord is A♭△7 (A♭, C, E♭, G); The vi chord is Fm7 (F, A♭, C, E♭); The ii chord is B♭m7 (B♭, D♭, F, A♭); The V chord is E♭7 (E♭, G, B♭, D♭).
A♭△7: Ionian (major) (A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G). Fm7: Aeolian (F G A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭). B♭m7: Dorian (B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G A♭). E♭7: Mixolydian (E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C D♭).
The thirds and sevenths: C and G over A♭△7, A♭ and E♭ over Fm7, D♭ and A♭ over B♭m7, G and D♭ over E♭7. Each voice moves by a half-step or stays put — that is what makes the progression sound like it resolves.
Loop the vamp at a slow tempo, play each arpeggio 1–3–5–7 in time, then play each chord-scale up and down, then improvise using only chord tones on the strong beats. When it is clean, move to the next key around the circle of fourths.
All twelve keys
The last two chords are the A♭ major ii–V–I — drill that on its own too. Read the theory in What is a ii–V–I?, or see the scales on their own pages: A♭ Major, F Aeolian, B♭ Dorian, E♭ Mixolydian.