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A♭ diminished major 7th chord on ukulele (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 contains A♭, C♭, E♭♭ and G. The 1st fret shape is the same four-finger stretch as A, moved down one fret.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, 7
- Root positionA♭–C♭–E♭♭–GA♭dimMaj71-2-3-2
- First inversionC♭–E♭♭–G–A♭A♭dimMaj7/C♭12-11-10-11
- Second inversionE♭♭–G–A♭–C♭A♭dimMaj7/E♭♭1-2-3-2
- Third inversionG–A♭–C♭–E♭♭A♭dimMaj7/G12-11-10-11
How do you play an A♭ diminished major 7th chord on ukulele?
A♭ diminished major 7th is played at the 1st fret as 1 2 3 2: index finger on the G string at fret 1, middle finger on the C string at fret 2, pinky finger on the E string at fret 3 and ring 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 | 2 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (E) | 3 | 4 | G (7) |
| 1 (A) | 2 | 3 | C♭ (♭3) |
AdvancedThe pinky must reach fret 3 on the E string while the ring finger holds fret 2 on the A string, a one-fret stretch.
A♭dimM7/C♭ inversion
A♭ diminished major 7th is played at the 10th fret as 12 11 10 11: pinky finger on the G string at fret 12, middle finger on the C string at fret 11, index finger on the E string at fret 10 and ring finger on the A string at fret 11.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 12 | 4 | G (7) |
| 3 (C) | 11 | 2 | C♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (E) | 10 | 1 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 1 (A) | 11 | 3 | A♭ (1) |
Why it sounds like that
A♭ diminished major 7th is built 1, ♭3, ♭5, 7. The diminished 5th between A♭ and E♭♭ is a tritone, and the major 7th G is a leading tone to A♭. Compare it with A♭ minor 7th flat 5th, which has G♭ instead of G.
What goes wrong with A♭ diminished major 7th?
- Letting the pinky flatten and deaden the A string.
- Pressing the index finger too far from the fret, causing the G string to buzz.
When to use it
A♭ diminished major 7th functions as a passing chord in A♭ minor, resolving to A♭ minor or A♭ major. Its leading tone suits jazz and whole-half scale runs.
Changing to and from A♭ diminished major 7th
- Slide the shape up one fret to the 2nd fret to reach A diminished major 7th.
Which voicing to use
The 1st fret position keeps A♭ in the bass. The A♭dimM7/F♯♯ inversion puts G in the bass, creating a tense sound with the leading tone on the bottom.
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 has a minor 7th, G♭.
Why does A♭ diminished major 7th use E♭♭ instead of D?
A♭ diminished major 7th uses E♭♭ because the diminished 5th from A♭ is six semitones, and E♭♭ is the correct spelling in an A♭ context.