A-flat minor

A-flat minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has seven flats. Its relative major is C-flat major (or enharmonically B major), its parallel major is A-flat major, and its enharmonic equivalent is G-sharp minor.
The A-flat natural minor scale is:
\override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
\relative c" {
 \clef treble \key aes \minor \time 7/4
 aes4^\markup { Natural minor scale } bes ces des es fes ges aes ges fes es des ces bes aes2
 \clef bass \key aes \minor
</score>
Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary. The A-flat harmonic minor and melodic minor scales are:
\override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
\relative c" {
 \clef treble \key aes \minor \time 7/4
 aes4^\markup { Harmonic minor scale } bes ces des es fes g aes g fes es des ces bes aes2
</score>
\override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
\relative c" {
 \clef treble \key aes \minor \time 7/4
 aes4^\markup { Melodic minor scale (ascending and descending) } bes ces des es f g aes ges! fes! es des ces bes aes2
</score>
Music in A-flat minor.
Although A-flat minor occurs in modulation in works in other keys, it is only rarely used as the principal key of a piece of music. Some well-known uses of the key in classical and romantic piano music include:
More often, pieces in a minor mode that have A-flat's pitch as tonic are notated in the enharmonic key, G-sharp minor, because that key has just five sharps as opposed to the seven flats of A-flat minor.
In some scores, the A-flat minor key signature in the bass clef is written with the flat for the F on the second line from the top.