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A♭ minor 7th chord on guitar (A♭m7)
Also called or written A♭m7 or A♭min7
A♭ minor 7th contains A♭, C♭, E♭, and G♭. This advanced barre shape uses a full six-string barre with a pinky stretch to the sixth fret.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7
- Root positionA♭–C♭–E♭–G♭A♭m74-6-4-4-4-4
- First inversionC♭–E♭–G♭–A♭A♭m7/C♭×-2-1-1-0-2
- Second inversionE♭–G♭–A♭–C♭A♭m7/E♭×-×-1-1-0-2
- Third inversionG♭–A♭–C♭–E♭A♭m7/G♭2-2-1-1-0-×
How do you play an A♭ minor 7th chord on guitar?
A♭ minor 7th is played at the 4th fret as 4 6 4 4 4 4: barre your index finger across fret 4 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 6.
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) | 4 | 1 (barre) | C♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
AdvancedThe index finger must barre all six strings at the 4th fret while the pinky stretches to the 6th fret on the A string.
6th fret
A♭ minor 7th is played at the 6th fret as × × 6 8 7 7: index finger on the D string at fret 6, pinky finger on the G string at fret 8, middle finger on the B string at fret 7 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) | 8 | 4 | E♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 7 | 2 | G♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 7 | 3 | C♭ (♭3) |
11th fret
A♭ minor 7th is played at the 11th fret as × 11 13 11 12 11: barre your index finger across fret 11, pinky finger on the D string at fret 13 and ring 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 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 13 | 4 | E♭ (5) |
| 3 (G) | 11 | 1 (barre) | G♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 12 | 3 | C♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
A♭m7/C♭ inversion · open position
A♭ minor 7th is played in open position as × 2 1 1 0 2: ring finger on the A string at fret 2, index finger on the D string at fret 1, middle finger on the G string at fret 1 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 2. The B string rings open. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 2 | 3 | C♭ (♭3) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 | E♭ (5) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 2 | A♭ (1) |
| 2 (B) | open | — | C♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 2 | 4 | G♭ (♭7) |
A♭m7/C♭ inversion · fret 6
A♭ minor 7th is played at the 6th fret as 7 6 6 8 7 ×: barre your index finger across fret 6, middle finger on the low E string at fret 7, pinky finger on the G string at fret 8 and ring 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) | 7 | 2 | 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 | 3 | G♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
Why it sounds like that
A♭ minor 7th is built from the formula 1, ♭3, 5, ♭7. The minor 7th interval between A♭ and G♭ gives the chord its relaxed, jazzy character. Compare it to A♭ minor, which stops at the fifth and sounds more closed.
What goes wrong with A♭ minor 7th?
- The D or G string buzzes because the index barre is not pressing evenly.
- The pinky accidentally touches the D string and mutes it.
- The low E string is not fretted cleanly, causing a thud.
When to use it
A♭ minor 7th suits minor-key R&B and smooth jazz. It appears in the I–V–vi–IV progression in B major, where it is the vi chord. Pair it with A♭ minor or A♭ 5th for a lush, mellow sound.
Changing to and from A♭ minor 7th
- Sliding the shape down two frets to the 2nd fret gives F♯ minor 7th; keep the barre and pinky locked.
- Sliding the shape down one fret to the 3rd fret gives G minor 7th; the pinky stretch remains the same.
Which voicing to use
The 4th fret barre voicing keeps A♭ in the bass and sounds full and dark. The 6th fret shape omits the low strings for a lighter, more focused sound; the 11th fret version is brighter and higher.
Other A♭ chords
Common questions
How is A♭ minor 7th written?
A♭ minor 7th is written A♭min7 or A♭m7. The ASCII root is Ab, so you may see Abmin7 or Abm7. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between A♭ minor 7th and A♭ minor?
A♭ minor 7th adds the ♭7, G♭, to the A♭ minor triad. The seventh gives the chord a more open, jazzy feel than the plain minor chord.
Why is the 4th fret shape considered advanced?
The full six-string barre requires even pressure across all strings. And the pinky must stretch to the 6th fret on the A string without muting the D string.
How does the 6th fret shape differ from the 4th fret barre?
The 6th fret shape mutes the low E and A strings and uses a four-finger stretch without a barre. It sounds lighter and is easier to move between chords.