Second Chords

Let’s look at how to play an A flat 2, or A flat second chord on the piano. We’ll also learn the pattern for building any other second chord.

What Are Second Chords?

Second chords are major chords with an added note. The added note is the second note of the matching major scale.

So to play a second chord, we’ll start with a major chord. Major chords are built using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale (learn how to build a major scale here).

Then to convert the major chord into a second chord, we’ll add the second note of the matching major scale.

Chord Types Printable

Learn to play 17 types of piano chords using 12 different root notes with this 35-page PDF! Chords are sorted both by their root note and type.

Get the Printable

How to Play an A Flat 2 Chord on the Piano

So to build an A flat 2 chord, we’ll start with an A flat major chord. We can build an A flat major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the A flat major scale: A♭ – C – E♭

Then we’ll add the second note of the A flat major scale: B♭

So to play an A flat 2 chord, we’ll play:

A♭ – B♭ – C – E♭

We can use this pattern to build any other second chord! We can first build a major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale. Then we can add the second note of the scale to the chord.

Add9 Chords

Second chords use the same notes as “add9” chords. An “add9” chord is a major chord with the added ninth note of the scale. Since scales only have eight notes, to find the ninth note, we can repeat the scale into the next octave. The ninth is the same as the second note of the scale, but one octave up.

So to build an A♭add9 chord, we’d build an A flat major chord: A♭ – C – E♭, then add the ninth note: B♭

In the end, the notes of the A♭2 and A♭add9 chords are the same, just in a different order:

A♭2: A♭ – B♭ – C – E♭

A♭add9: A♭ – C – E♭ – B♭

Other Chord Types

Some of the other chord types you can learn are:

Major
Minor
Augmented
Diminished
Minor Second
Suspended
Fifth
Sixth
Minor Sixth
Seventh
Minor Seventh
Major Seventh
Ninth
Minor Ninth
Major Ninth

Conclusion

Now you know how to build an A flat second chord on the piano, and you can use this knowledge to build any other second chord!

Second chords are nice to use at the piano since they’re easy to play, and can work well as chord substitutions for major chords.