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A♭ diminished major 7th chord on guitar (A♭dimMaj7)
Also called or written A♭dimMaj7, A♭dimM7, A♭°M7, A♭ augmented minor seventh or A♭ minor seventh sharp five
A♭ diminished major 7th is built from A♭, C♭, E♭♭ and G. The 4th fret shape mutes the B string, which is a chord tone here.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, 7
- Root positionA♭–C♭–E♭♭–GA♭dimMaj74-5-5-4-×-×
- First inversionC♭–E♭♭–G–A♭A♭dimMaj7/C♭×-2-0-1-0-3
- Second inversionE♭♭–G–A♭–C♭A♭dimMaj7/E♭♭×-×-0-1-0-3
- Third inversionG–A♭–C♭–E♭♭A♭dimMaj7/G3-2-0-1-0-3
How do you play an A♭ diminished major 7th chord on guitar?
A♭ diminished major 7th is played at the 4th fret as 4 5 5 4 × ×: index finger on the low E string at fret 4, ring finger on the A string at fret 5, pinky finger on the D string at fret 5 and middle finger on the G string at fret 4. 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) | 5 | 4 | G (7) |
| 3 (G) | 4 | 2 | C♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
AdvancedThe pinky on the D string at fret 5 must arch over the ring finger on the A string, while the B string stays muted despite being a chord tone.
6th fret
A♭ diminished major 7th is played at the 6th fret as × × 6 7 8 7: index finger on the D string at fret 6, middle finger on the G string at fret 7, pinky finger on the B string at fret 8 and ring 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 | 2 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (B) | 8 | 4 | G (7) |
| 1 (e) | 7 | 3 | C♭ (♭3) |
11th fret
A♭ diminished major 7th is played at the 11th fret as × 11 12 12 12 ×: index finger on the A string at fret 11, middle finger on the D string at fret 12, ring finger on the G string at fret 12 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 12. 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 | 2 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 3 (G) | 12 | 3 | G (7) |
| 2 (B) | 12 | 4 | C♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
A♭dimM7/C♭ inversion · ×-2-0-1-0-3
A♭ diminished major 7th is played in open position as × 2 0 1 0 3: middle finger on the A string at fret 2, index finger on the G string at fret 1 and ring finger on the high e string at fret 3. The D and B strings ring open. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 2 | 2 | C♭ (♭3) |
| 4 (D) | open | — | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 1 | A♭ (1) |
| 2 (B) | open | — | C♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 3 | G (7) |
A♭dimM7/C♭ inversion · ×-2-0-1-3-3
A♭ diminished major 7th is played in open position as × 2 0 1 3 3: middle finger on the A string at fret 2, index finger on the G string at fret 1, ring finger on the B string at fret 3 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 3. 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) | 2 | 2 | C♭ (♭3) |
| 4 (D) | open | — | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 1 | A♭ (1) |
| 2 (B) | 3 | 3 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 1 (e) | 3 | 4 | G (7) |
Why it sounds like that
A♭ diminished major 7th uses the formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, 7. The diminished 5th between A♭ and E♭♭ creates a tritone, and the major 7th G is the leading tone. Compare it to A♭ minor 7th flat 5th, which lowers the 7th to G♭.
What goes wrong with A♭ diminished major 7th?
- Letting the B string ring open and doubling the ♭3.
- Flattening the pinky onto the G string and muting the ♭5.
When to use it
A♭ diminished major 7th appears in A♭ minor progressions as a passing chord, often moving to A♭ minor or A♭ major 7th. The leading tone G pulls to A♭, so use it before an A♭ major cadence. It suits dark jazz and classical tension.
Changing to and from A♭ diminished major 7th
- Sliding the shape down one fret to the 3rd fret gives G diminished major 7th.
Which voicing to use
The 4th fret shape keeps the bass on A♭ and is the default. The 6th fret shape repeats the voicing an octave higher, while the 11th fret adds a brighter register for solos.
Other A♭ chords
Common questions
How is A♭ diminished major 7th written?
A♭ diminished major 7th is written A♭°M7 or A♭dimM7. 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 major 7th and A♭ minor 7th flat 5th?
A♭ diminished major 7th has a major 7th, G. A♭ minor 7th flat 5th lowers that note to G♭, giving a dominant-quality chord.
Why does A♭ diminished major 7th sound so unstable?
The diminished 5th between A♭ and E♭♭ creates a tritone, and the major 7th G sits a semitone below the octave. Both intervals demand resolution.