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A♭ 7th chord on guitar (A♭7)
Also called or written A♭7, A♭, A♭ Dominant 7th or A♭ Major Minor 7th
A♭ 7th contains A♭, C, E♭, and G♭. This advanced barre chord requires a full six-string grip at the 4th fret.
How it is built
Formula 1, 3, 5, ♭7
- Root positionA♭–C–E♭–G♭A♭74-6-4-5-4-4
- First inversionC–E♭–G♭–A♭A♭7/C×-3-1-1-1-2
- Second inversionE♭–G♭–A♭–CA♭7/E♭×-×-1-1-1-2
- Third inversionG♭–A♭–C–E♭A♭7/G♭2-3-1-1-1-2
How do you play an A♭ 7th chord on guitar?
A♭ 7th is played at the 4th fret as 4 6 4 5 4 4: barre your index finger across fret 4, pinky finger on the A string at fret 6 and ring finger on the G string at fret 5.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 4 | E♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 4 | 1 (barre) | G♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 5 | 3 | C (3) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
AdvancedThe index barre must fret the 6th, 4th, 2nd, and 1st strings cleanly while the pinky stretches to the 6th fret.
6th fret
A♭ 7th is played at the 6th fret as × × 6 8 7 8: index finger on the D string at fret 6, ring finger on the G string at fret 8, middle finger on the B string at fret 7 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 8. The low E and A strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 6 | 1 | A♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 3 | E♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 7 | 2 | G♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 8 | 4 | C (3) |
11th fret
A♭ 7th is played at the 11th fret as × 11 13 11 13 11: barre your index finger across fret 11, ring finger on the D string at fret 13 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 13. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 11 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 13 | 3 | E♭ (5) |
| 3 (G) | 11 | 1 (barre) | G♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 13 | 4 | C (3) |
| 1 (e) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
A♭7/C inversion · fret 1
A♭ 7th is played at the 1st fret as × 3 1 1 1 2: barre your index finger across fret 1, pinky finger on the A string at fret 3 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 2. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 3 | 4 | C (3) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 2 (B) | 1 | 1 (barre) | C (3) |
| 1 (e) | 2 | 3 | G♭ (♭7) |
A♭7/C inversion · fret 6
A♭ 7th is played at the 6th fret as 8 6 6 8 7 ×: barre your index finger across fret 6, ring finger on the low E string at fret 8, pinky finger on the G string at fret 8 and middle finger on the B string at fret 7. The high e string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8 | 3 | C (3) |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 6 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 4 | E♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 7 | 2 | G♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
Why it sounds like that
A♭ 7th is built from the formula 1, 3, 5, ♭7 — A♭, C, E♭, and G♭. The minor 7th interval from A♭ to G♭ gives the chord its dominant pull. Compare it to A♭ major, which omits the G♭ and sounds resolved.
What goes wrong with A♭ 7th?
- The 1st string buzzes because the barre finger bends slightly at the joint.
- The pinky on the 5th string accidentally mutes the 4th string.
- The ring finger on the 3rd string flattens and touches the 2nd string.
When to use it
A♭ 7th is the V chord in C♯ major, resolving to C♯ major. In the progression I–IV–V–I, play C♯ major–F♯ major–A♭ 7th–C♯ major. It suits blues, funk, and rock rhythm parts where the dominant tension is wanted.
Changing to and from A♭ 7th
- Sliding the shape down two frets to the 2nd fret gives F♯ 7th; keep the barre pressure even during the move.
- Sliding the shape up two frets to the 6th fret gives B♭ 7th; lift the pinky slightly to avoid scraping.
Which voicing to use
The 4th fret voicing puts A♭ in the bass and is the fullest grip. The A♭7/C inversion at the 1st fret places C in the bass, softening the root movement for voice leading.
Other A♭ chords
Common questions
How is A♭ 7th written?
A♭ 7th is written A♭7, and the root can be typed as Ab. It is also called Dominant 7th or Major Minor 7th. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between A♭7 and A♭ major?
A♭7 adds the minor 7th G♭ to the A♭ major triad A♭–C–E♭. That G♭ creates a tritone with C, giving the dominant pull. A♭ major sounds stable; A♭7 wants to resolve.
Why is the 4th fret shape called a barre chord?
The index finger presses down all six strings across the 4th fret. This lets the chord move up and down the neck. The other fingers add the 3rd and 5th.
Can I play A♭7 without the barre?
The 6th fret voicing uses only four strings and no barre, but it omits the low E and A strings. It sounds thinner and is easier to fret. The 4th fret barre gives the fullest sound.