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A♭ diminished 7th chord on guitar (A♭dim7)
Also called or written A♭dim7 or A♭°7
A♭ diminished 7th contains A♭, C♭, E♭♭ and G♭♭. The 3rd fret shape is a barre chord that requires a strong index finger.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭♭7
- Root positionA♭–C♭–E♭♭–G♭♭A♭dim74-5-3-4-3-×
- First inversionC♭–E♭♭–G♭♭–A♭A♭dim7/C♭×-2-0-1-0-1
- Second inversionE♭♭–G♭♭–A♭–C♭A♭dim7/E♭♭×-×-0-1-0-1
- Third inversionG♭♭–A♭–C♭–E♭♭A♭dim7/G♭♭1-2-0-1-0-1
How do you play an A♭ diminished 7th chord on guitar?
A♭ diminished 7th is played at the 3rd fret as 4 5 3 4 3 ×: barre your index finger across fret 3, middle finger on the low E string at fret 4, pinky finger on the A string at fret 5 and ring finger on the G string at fret 4. The high e string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4 | 2 | A♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 5 | 4 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 4 (D) | 3 | 1 (barre) | G♭♭ (6) |
| 3 (G) | 4 | 3 | C♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 3 | 1 (barre) | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
AdvancedThe 3rd fret barre requires the index finger to fret the D and B strings cleanly while the pinky reaches the 5th fret on the A string.
4th fret
A♭ diminished 7th is played at the 4th fret as 4 5 6 4 6 4: barre your index finger across fret 4, middle finger on the A string at fret 5, ring finger on the D string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 6.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 5 | 2 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 4 (D) | 6 | 3 | A♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 4 | 1 (barre) | C♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 6 | 4 | G♭♭ (6) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
6th fret
A♭ diminished 7th is played at the 6th fret as × × 6 7 6 7: index finger on the D string at fret 6, ring finger on the G string at fret 7, middle finger on the B string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 7. 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 | 3 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (B) | 6 | 2 | G♭♭ (6) |
| 1 (e) | 7 | 4 | C♭ (♭3) |
9th fret
A♭ diminished 7th is played at the 9th fret as × 11 9 10 9 10: barre your index finger across fret 9, pinky finger on the A string at fret 11, middle finger on the G string at fret 10 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 10. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 11 | 4 | A♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 9 | 1 (barre) | C♭ (♭3) |
| 3 (G) | 10 | 2 | G♭♭ (6) |
| 2 (B) | 9 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 1 (e) | 10 | 3 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
10th fret
A♭ diminished 7th is played at the 10th fret as × 11 12 10 12 10: barre your index finger across fret 10, middle finger on the A string at fret 11, ring finger on the D string at fret 12 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 12. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 11 | 2 | A♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 12 | 3 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 3 (G) | 10 | 1 (barre) | G♭♭ (6) |
| 2 (B) | 12 | 4 | C♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 10 | 1 (barre) | E♭♭ (♭5) |
Why it sounds like that
A♭ diminished 7th is built from the intervals 1, ♭3, ♭5 and ♭♭7. The ♭♭7, a diminished seventh above the root, creates the chord's distinctive tension. Compare it with A♭ minor 7th flat 5th, which has a minor seventh instead.
What goes wrong with A♭ diminished 7th?
- Letting the high E string ring instead of muting it.
- Not pressing the barre hard enough, causing the B string to buzz.
- Flattening the ring finger onto the B string and muting the barre note.
When to use it
A♭ diminished 7th often resolves to B♭ minor or B♭ major. It suits tense jazz and classical passages.
Changing to and from A♭ diminished 7th
- Sliding the shape down two frets to the 1st fret gives F♯ diminished 7th.
- From B♭ minor, move the pinky from the 6th fret of the A string to the 5th fret and add the barre.
Which voicing to use
The 3rd fret barre keeps the root A♭ in the bass and is the default voicing. The 9th fret barre shape moves the root to the low E string for a heavier sound.
Other A♭ chords
Common questions
How is A♭ diminished 7th written?
A♭ diminished 7th is written A♭°7 or A♭dim7. The ASCII root spelling is Ab. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between A♭ diminished 7th and A♭ minor 7th flat 5th?
A♭ diminished 7th has a diminished seventh (G♭♭), while A♭ minor 7th flat 5th has a minor seventh (G♭). The diminished seventh makes the chord fully diminished.
Why is the high E string muted in the 3rd fret shape?
The open high E is not a chord tone of A♭ diminished 7th. Muting it keeps the voicing clean and the bass note on A♭.