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A♭ 7th flat 5 chord on guitar (A♭7♭5)
Also called or written A♭7♭5, A♭, A♭ Dominant 7th Flat 5 or A♭ 7th ♭5
A♭ 7th flat 5 contains A♭, C, E♭♭, and G♭. This advanced 3rd fret shape uses a barre across the 3rd fret and requires a wide stretch to the 5th fret.
How it is built
Formula 1, 3, ♭5, ♭7
- Root positionA♭–C–E♭♭–G♭A♭7♭54-3-4-5-3-×
- First inversionC–E♭♭–G♭–A♭A♭7♭5/C×-3-0-1-1-2
- Second inversionE♭♭–G♭–A♭–CA♭7♭5/E♭♭×-×-0-1-1-2
- Third inversionG♭–A♭–C–E♭♭A♭7♭5/G♭2-3-0-1-1-×
How do you play an A♭ 7th flat 5 chord on guitar?
A♭ 7th flat 5 is played at the 3rd fret as 4 3 4 5 3 ×: barre your index finger across fret 3, middle finger on the low E string at fret 4, ring finger on the D string at fret 4 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 5. The high e string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4 | 2 | A♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 3 | 1 (barre) | C (3) |
| 4 (D) | 4 | 3 | G♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 5 | 4 | C (3) |
| 2 (B) | 3 | 1 (barre) | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
AdvancedThe hardest part is maintaining the barre on the A and B strings while the pinky stretches to the 5th fret on the G string.
4th fret
A♭ 7th flat 5 is played at the 4th fret as 4 5 4 5 × ×: index finger on the low E string at fret 4, ring finger on the A string at fret 5, middle finger on the D string at fret 4 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 5. The B and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4 | 1 | A♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 5 | 3 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 4 (D) | 4 | 2 | G♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 5 | 4 | C (3) |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
6th fret
A♭ 7th flat 5 is played at the 6th fret as × × 6 7 7 8: index finger on the D string at fret 6, middle finger on the G string at fret 7, ring 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) | 7 | 2 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (B) | 7 | 3 | G♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 8 | 4 | C (3) |
11th fret
A♭ 7th flat 5 is played at the 11th fret as × 11 12 11 13 ×: index finger on the A string at fret 11, ring finger on the D string at fret 12, middle finger on the G string at fret 11 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 13. The low E and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 11 | 1 | A♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 12 | 3 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 3 (G) | 11 | 2 | G♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 13 | 4 | C (3) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
A♭7♭5/C inversion
A♭ 7th flat 5 is played in open position as × 3 0 1 1 2: pinky finger on the A string at fret 3, index finger on the G string at fret 1, middle finger on the B string at fret 1 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 2. The D string rings open. 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) | open | — | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 1 | A♭ (1) |
| 2 (B) | 1 | 2 | C (3) |
| 1 (e) | 2 | 3 | G♭ (♭7) |
Why it sounds like that
A♭ 7th flat 5 is built from the formula 1, 3, ♭5, ♭7. The diminished 5th from A♭ to E♭♭ creates the chord's unstable sound. Compare it to A♭ 7th, which has a perfect 5th instead.
What goes wrong with A♭ 7th flat 5?
- Letting the high e string ring open adds an E, which is not a chord tone.
- Not pressing the barre firmly enough on the B string causes a buzz.
- Flattening the pinky onto the B string mutes its barred note.
When to use it
A♭ 7th flat 5 works as a dominant chord in jazz and blues, often resolving to A♭ major or A♭ 5th. Its tense sound suits turnarounds and passing moments.
Changing to and from A♭ 7th flat 5
- Move to <a href="/guitar/a-flat-7-chord">A♭ 7th</a> by sliding the pinky from the 5th fret to the 4th fret on the G string while keeping the barre in place.
Which voicing to use
The 3rd fret position keeps the bass note A♭ on the 5th string. For a brighter sound, use the 6th fret shape, which also has A♭ in the bass but higher register.
Other A♭ chords
Common questions
How is A♭ 7th flat 5 written?
A♭ 7th flat 5 is written as A♭7♭5 or Ab7b5. It may also be called Dominant 7th Flat 5 or 7th ♭5. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between A♭ 7th flat 5 and A♭ 7th?
A♭ 7th flat 5 has a diminished 5th (E♭♭) instead of the perfect 5th (E♭) in A♭ 7th. This single note creates a more dissonant, unresolved sound.
Can A♭ 7th flat 5 be used in place of A♭ 7th?
Yes, but it adds tension. Use A♭ 7th flat 5 when you want a more altered dominant sound, especially before resolving to a major chord.