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A♭ diminished 7th chord on ukulele (A♭dim7)
Also called or written A♭dim7 or A♭°7
A♭ diminished 7th is built from A♭, C♭, E♭♭, G♭♭. The 1st fret shape is a compact four-finger cluster that moves cleanly up and down the neck.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭♭7
- Root positionA♭–C♭–E♭♭–G♭♭A♭dim77-8-7-8
- First inversionC♭–E♭♭–G♭♭–A♭A♭dim7/C♭10-11-10-11
- Second inversionE♭♭–G♭♭–A♭–C♭A♭dim7/E♭♭1-2-1-2
- Third inversionG♭♭–A♭–C♭–E♭♭A♭dim7/G♭♭4-5-4-5
How do you play an A♭ diminished 7th chord on ukulele?
A♭ diminished 7th is played at the 1st fret as 1 2 1 2: index finger on the G string at fret 1, ring finger on the C string at fret 2, middle finger on the E string at fret 1 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 2.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 1 | 1 | A♭ (1) |
| 3 (C) | 2 | 3 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (E) | 1 | 2 | G♭♭ (6) |
| 1 (A) | 2 | 4 | C♭ (♭3) |
AdvancedThe pinky must reach fret 2 on the A string while the ring finger holds fret 2 on the C string, requiring a wide stretch.
A♭dim7/G♭♭ inversion
A♭ diminished 7th is played at the 4th fret as 4 5 4 5: index finger on the G string at fret 4, ring finger on the C string at fret 5, middle finger on the E string at fret 4 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 5.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 4 | 1 | C♭ (♭3) |
| 3 (C) | 5 | 3 | G♭♭ (6) |
| 2 (E) | 4 | 2 | A♭ (1) |
| 1 (A) | 5 | 4 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
7th fret
A♭ diminished 7th is played at the 7th fret as 7 8 7 8: index finger on the G string at fret 7, ring finger on the C string at fret 8, middle finger on the E string at fret 7 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 8.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 7 | 1 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 3 (C) | 8 | 3 | A♭ (1) |
| 2 (E) | 7 | 2 | C♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (A) | 8 | 4 | G♭♭ (6) |
A♭dim7/C♭ inversion
A♭ diminished 7th is played at the 10th fret as 10 11 10 11: index finger on the G string at fret 10, ring finger on the C string at fret 11, middle finger on the E string at fret 10 and pinky finger on the A string at fret 11.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 10 | 1 | G♭♭ (6) |
| 3 (C) | 11 | 3 | C♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (E) | 10 | 2 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 1 (A) | 11 | 4 | A♭ (1) |
Why it sounds like that
A♭ diminished 7th stacks minor thirds: 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭♭7. The ♭♭7, G♭♭, sounds like F but is spelled as a diminished seventh to preserve the chord's structure. Compare it with A♭ minor 7th flat 5th, which has a minor seventh instead.
What goes wrong with A♭ diminished 7th?
- Letting the index finger mute the C string by lying flat.
- Pressing the pinky on the A string fret 2 without enough arch, deadening the E string.
- Strumming before all four fingers are firmly placed.
When to use it
A♭ diminished 7th works as a passing chord between A♭ minor 7th flat 5th and B♭ minor. Its tense, symmetrical sound suits jazz turnarounds and dramatic pauses in ballads.
Changing to and from A♭ diminished 7th
- Sliding the shape up one fret to the 2nd fret gives A diminished 7th.
- Sliding the shape up two frets to the 3rd fret gives B♭ diminished 7th.
Which voicing to use
The 1st fret voicing puts A♭ in the bass, giving the most direct root-position sound. The A♭dim7/B inversion at the 4th fret places C♭ in the bass, which softens the chord's attack and works well when moving to a B♭ chord.
Other A♭ chords
Common questions
How is A♭ diminished 7th written?
A♭ diminished 7th is written A♭°7 or A♭dim7. The root is A♭, also written Ab. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
Why does A♭ diminished 7th use G♭♭ instead of F?
The diminished seventh interval from A♭ is G♭♭, not F. Spelling it G♭♭ keeps the chord's formula as 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭♭7. Using F would make the interval a major sixth.
How does A♭ diminished 7th differ from A♭ minor 7th flat 5th?
A♭ minor 7th flat 5th has a minor seventh, G♭, while A♭ diminished 7th has a diminished seventh, G♭♭. That one-semitone difference makes the diminished chord sound more tense and symmetrical.
Can I play A♭ diminished 7th with a barre?
No, the 1st fret voicing uses four separate fingers. A barre would fret the G and E strings at fret 1, but you still need fingers for the C and A strings at fret 2.