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A♭ augmented major 7th chord on guitar (A♭augMaj7)
Also called or written A♭augMaj7, A♭augM7, A♭+M7, A♭M7#5, A♭maj+7, A♭ augmented major seventh or A♭ major seventh sharp five
A♭ augmented major 7th contains A♭, C, E, and G. The 2nd fret voicing skips the G and B strings, leaving a gap between the D and high e strings.
How it is built
Formula 1, 3, ♯5, 7
- Root positionA♭–C–E–GA♭augMaj74-3-2-×-×-3
- First inversionC–E–G–A♭A♭augMaj7/C×-3-2-1-1-3
- Second inversionE–G–A♭–CA♭augMaj7/E×-×-2-1-1-3
- Third inversionG–A♭–C–EA♭augMaj7/G3-3-2-1-1-×
How do you play an A♭ augmented major 7th chord on guitar?
A♭ augmented major 7th is played at the 2nd fret as 4 3 2 × × 3: pinky finger on the low E string at fret 4, middle finger on the A string at fret 3, index finger on the D string at fret 2 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 3. The G and B strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4 | 4 | A♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 3 | 2 | C (3) |
| 4 (D) | 2 | 1 | E (♯5) |
| 3 (G) | muted | — | — |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 3 | G (7) |
AdvancedThe pinky must reach the 4th fret on the low E string while the index finger holds the 2nd fret on the D string, creating a wide stretch.
3rd fret
A♭ augmented major 7th is played at the 3rd fret as 4 3 5 × 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 5 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 5. The G 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) | 5 | 3 | G (7) |
| 3 (G) | muted | — | — |
| 2 (B) | 5 | 4 | E (♯5) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 1 (barre) | G (7) |
4th fret
A♭ augmented major 7th is played at the 4th fret as 4 × 5 5 5 4: barre your index finger across fret 4, middle finger on the D string at fret 5, ring finger on the G string at fret 5 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 5. The A string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 5 | 2 | G (7) |
| 3 (G) | 5 | 3 | C (3) |
| 2 (B) | 5 | 4 | E (♯5) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
10th fret
A♭ augmented major 7th is played at the 10th fret as × 11 10 12 × 12: middle finger on the A string at fret 11, index finger on the D string at fret 10, ring finger on the G string at fret 12 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 12. The low E and B strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 11 | 2 | A♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 10 | 1 | C (3) |
| 3 (G) | 12 | 3 | G (7) |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | 12 | 4 | E (♯5) |
A♭augM7/C inversion
A♭ augmented major 7th is played at the 1st fret as × 3 2 1 1 3: barre your index finger across fret 1, ring finger on the A string at fret 3, middle finger on the D string at fret 2 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 3. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 3 | 3 | C (3) |
| 4 (D) | 2 | 2 | E (♯5) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 2 (B) | 1 | 1 (barre) | C (3) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 4 | G (7) |
Why it sounds like that
A♭ augmented major 7th is built from the formula 1, 3, ♯5, 7. The augmented 5th, E, is what separates it from the A♭ major 7th, where the 5th is E♭. The major 3rd and major 7th remain unchanged.
What goes wrong with A♭ augmented major 7th?
- Letting the G string ring instead of muting it.
- Letting the B string ring instead of muting it.
- Fretting the high e string with the middle finger instead of the ring finger, causing the note to go flat.
When to use it
A♭ augmented major 7th works as a substitute for A♭ major 7th when the melody moves to the ♯5. It fits jazz ballads and passages that need a brighter, more restless major sound.
Changing to and from A♭ augmented major 7th
- Sliding the shape down one fret to the 1st fret gives G augmented major 7th.
- Sliding the shape up one fret to the 3rd fret gives A augmented major 7th.
Which voicing to use
The 2nd fret voicing keeps A♭ in the bass and is the default. The 3rd fret voicing repeats the same shape an octave higher, while the A♭augM7/C inversion on the 1st fret puts C in the bass.
Other A♭ chords
Common questions
How is A♭ augmented major 7th written?
A♭ augmented major 7th is written A♭+M7, M7#5, maj+7, or A♭augM7. The ASCII root is Ab. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between A♭ augmented major 7th and A♭ augmented?
A♭ augmented major 7th adds the major 7th, G, to the A♭ augmented triad A♭–C–E. The 7th creates a leading tone back to A♭ major.
Why does the G string get muted?
The G string is muted to preserve the intended voicing, not because it clashes. G is a chord tone, but playing it would change the bass note.