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A♭ minor major 7th chord on guitar (A♭mMaj7)
Also called or written A♭mMaj7, A♭minmaj7, A♭mmaj7, A♭mM7, A♭ Minor Sharp 7 or A♭ Minor ♯7
A♭ minor major 7th is built from A♭, C♭, E♭, and G. The 4th fret voicing uses a full barre, making it a demanding but powerful shape.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, 5, 7
- Root positionA♭–C♭–E♭–GA♭mMaj74-6-5-4-4-4
- First inversionC♭–E♭–G–A♭A♭mMaj7/C♭×-2-1-1-0-3
- Second inversionE♭–G–A♭–C♭A♭mMaj7/E♭×-×-1-1-0-3
- Third inversionG–A♭–C♭–E♭A♭mMaj7/G3-2-1-1-0-×
How do you play an A♭ minor major 7th chord on guitar?
A♭ minor major 7th is played at the 4th fret as 4 6 5 4 4 4: barre your index finger across fret 4, pinky finger on the A string at fret 6 and ring finger on the D string at fret 5.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 4 | E♭ (5) |
| 4 (D) | 5 | 3 | G (7) |
| 3 (G) | 4 | 1 (barre) | C♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (1) |
AdvancedThe full barre at the 4th fret requires significant finger strength to fret all six strings cleanly while the pinky stretches to the 6th fret.
6th fret
A♭ minor major 7th is played at the 6th fret as × × 6 8 8 7: index finger on the D string at fret 6, ring finger on the G string at fret 8, pinky finger on the B string at fret 8 and middle 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 | 3 | E♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 8 | 4 | G (7) |
| 1 (e) | 7 | 2 | C♭ (♭3) |
11th fret
A♭ minor major 7th is played at the 11th fret as × 11 13 12 12 11: barre your index finger across fret 11, pinky finger on the D string at fret 13, middle finger on the G string at fret 12 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) | 12 | 2 | G (7) |
| 2 (B) | 12 | 3 | C♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | 11 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (5) |
A♭minmaj7/C♭ inversion · open position
A♭ minor major 7th is played in open position as × 2 1 1 0 3: 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 3. 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) | 3 | 4 | G (7) |
A♭minmaj7/C♭ inversion · fret 6
A♭ minor major 7th is played at the 6th fret as 7 6 6 8 8 ×: barre your index finger across fret 6, middle finger on the low E string at fret 7, ring finger on the G string at fret 8 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 8. 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 | 3 | E♭ (5) |
| 2 (B) | 8 | 4 | G (7) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
Why it sounds like that
A♭ minor major 7th combines a minor triad (1, ♭3, 5) with a major seventh (7), giving the formula 1, ♭3, 5, 7. The major seventh G is what gives this chord its distinctive, unresolved quality. Compare it to A♭ minor, which has only the triad and sounds more settled.
What goes wrong with A♭ minor major 7th?
- Buzzing the high e string under the barre.
- Muting the G string with the index finger by not pressing hard enough.
- Letting the pinky touch the D string, deadening it.
When to use it
A♭ minor major 7th often appears as a tonic in A♭ minor, moving to A♭ minor or A♭ suspended 4th. It suits dark jazz, metal ballads, and tense film cues.
Changing to and from A♭ minor major 7th
- Sliding the shape down one fret to the 3rd fret gives G minor major 7th.
Which voicing to use
The 4th fret voicing is the easiest and has A♭ in the bass. The 16th fret barre voicing offers a higher-register version with the root on the low E string. The 6th fret voicing omits the low strings for a lighter sound.
Other A♭ chords
Common questions
How is A♭ minor major 7th written?
A♭ minor major 7th is written A♭mmaj7, A♭minmaj7, or A♭mM7. The ASCII root is Ab. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
Why does the 4th fret voicing use a full barre?
The barre frets the low E, G, B, and high e strings at the 4th fret. The other fingers add the C♭ and E♭ on the A and D strings.
How does A♭ minor major 7th differ from A♭ minor 7th?
The displayed shape preserves only the supplied notes and interval formula. The major seventh creates a sharper, more leading-tone pull.
What scale does A♭ minor major 7th come from?
A♭ minor major 7th appears in A♭ harmonic minor and A♭ melodic minor scales. The raised seventh degree of those scales is the G in this chord.