Also written A♭7♭5, A♭ or A♭ Dominant 7th Flat 5
A♭ 7th flat 5 is built from A♭, C, E♭♭, and G♭. The 1st fret shape stacks three fingers in a row before the pinky reaches fret 3.
The same three notes, with a different one in the bass.
A♭ 7th flat 5 uses the formula 1, 3, ♭5, ♭7. The diminished 5th between A♭ and E♭♭ gives the chord its tense color. Compare it to A♭ 7th, which raises that E♭♭ to E♭.
A♭ 7th flat 5 works as a tense dominant in A♭ major, especially moving to A♭ major or A♭ 5th. Its altered fifth suits jazz and funk lines where a plain A♭ 7th sounds too settled.
The 1st fret position keeps A♭ in the bass for a root-position sound. The supplied positions differ only in register and bass note, not in the notes they contain.
A♭ 7th flat 5 is played at the 1st fret as 1 2 2 3: index finger on the G string at fret 1, middle finger on the C string at fret 2, ring finger on the E string at fret 2 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 3.
Tip — The pinky must reach fret 3 cleanly while the ring finger holds fret 2 on the E string.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 1 | 1 | A♭ (1) |
| 3 (C) | 2 | 2 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (E) | 2 | 3 | G♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (A) | 3 | 4 | C (3) |
A♭ 7th flat 5 is played at the 4th fret as 5 6 4 5: middle finger on the G string at fret 5, pinky finger on the C string at fret 6, index finger on the E string at fret 4 and ring finger on the A string at fret 5.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 5 | 2 | C (3) |
| 3 (C) | 6 | 4 | G♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (E) | 4 | 1 | A♭ (1) |
| 1 (A) | 5 | 3 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
A♭ 7th flat 5 is played at the 7th fret as 7 8 8 9: index finger on the G string at fret 7, middle finger on the C string at fret 8, ring finger on the E string at fret 8 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 9.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 7 | 1 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 3 (C) | 8 | 2 | A♭ (1) |
| 2 (E) | 8 | 3 | C (3) |
| 1 (A) | 9 | 4 | G♭ (♭7) |
A♭ 7th flat 5 is played at the 10th fret as 11 12 10 11: middle finger on the G string at fret 11, pinky finger on the C string at fret 12, index finger on the E string at fret 10 and ring finger on the A string at fret 11.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 11 | 2 | G♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (C) | 12 | 4 | C (3) |
| 2 (E) | 10 | 1 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 1 (A) | 11 | 3 | A♭ (1) |
A♭ 7th flat 5 is written as A♭7♭5 or A♭. The symbol A♭7♭5 is the most common, and the ASCII root is Ab. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
A♭ 7th flat 5 lowers the fifth from E♭ to E♭♭, creating a diminished fifth. A♭ 7th keeps the perfect fifth E♭.
The diminished fifth between A♭ and E♭♭ is a tritone, which wants to resolve. This tension makes the chord useful before a tonic.