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A♭ minor 7th flat 5th chord on ukulele (A♭m7♭5)
Also called or written A♭m7♭5, A♭ or A♭ Half Diminished Minor 7
A♭ minor 7th flat 5th is built from A♭, C♭, E♭♭, and G♭. The 1st fret shape is a stretch that tests pinky independence.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭7
- Root positionA♭–C♭–E♭♭–G♭A♭m7♭57-8-7-9
- First inversionC♭–E♭♭–G♭–A♭A♭m7♭5/C♭11-11-10-11
- Second inversionE♭♭–G♭–A♭–C♭A♭m7♭5/E♭♭1-2-2-2
- Third inversionG♭–A♭–C♭–E♭♭A♭m7♭5/G♭4-6-4-5
How do you play an A♭ minor 7th flat 5th chord on ukulele?
A♭ minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 1st fret as 1 2 2 2: 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 2.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 1 | 1 | A♭ (1) |
| 3 (C) | 2 | 2 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (E) | 2 | 3 | G♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (A) | 2 | 4 | C♭ (♭3) |
AdvancedThe pinky must fret the A string at fret 2 cleanly while the ring finger holds the E string at the same fret.
A♭m7♭5/G♭ inversion
A♭ minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 4th fret as 4 6 4 5: index finger on the G string at fret 4, pinky finger on the C string at fret 6, middle finger on the E string at fret 4 and ring 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) | 6 | 4 | G♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (E) | 4 | 2 | A♭ (1) |
| 1 (A) | 5 | 3 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
7th fret
A♭ minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 7th fret as 7 8 7 9: 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 9.
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) | 9 | 4 | G♭ (♭7) |
A♭m7♭5/C♭ inversion
A♭ minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 10th fret as 11 11 10 11: middle finger on the G string at fret 11, ring finger on the C string at fret 11, index 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) | 11 | 2 | G♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (C) | 11 | 3 | C♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (E) | 10 | 1 | E♭♭ (♭5) |
| 1 (A) | 11 | 4 | A♭ (1) |
Why it sounds like that
A♭ minor 7th flat 5th uses the formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭7. The diminished 5th between A♭ and E♭♭ gives the chord its unstable quality. Compare it to A♭ minor 7th, which raises the ♭5 to a perfect 5th.
What goes wrong with A♭ minor 7th flat 5th?
- Letting the pinky flatten and deaden the A string.
- Pressing the ring finger too far over and muting the C string.
- Strumming before all four fingers are seated, causing a buzz on the E string.
When to use it
A♭ minor 7th flat 5th works as the ii chord in F♯ natural minor, leading to C♯ minor or F♯ minor. Use it in jazz, blues, and ballads where a darker minor sound is needed.
Changing to and from A♭ minor 7th flat 5th
- Sliding the shape up one fret to the 2nd fret gives A minor 7th flat 5th.
- Sliding the shape up two frets to the 3rd fret gives B♭ minor 7th flat 5th.
Which voicing to use
The 1st fret voicing has A♭ in the bass, giving a root-position sound. For a lighter feel, use the A♭m7♭5/B inversion with C♭ in the bass.
Other A♭ chords
Common questions
How is A♭ minor 7th flat 5th written?
A♭ minor 7th flat 5th is written as A♭m7♭5 or A♭. The ASCII root is Ab. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between A♭ minor 7th flat 5th and A♭ diminished?
A♭ diminished is a triad with notes A♭, C♭, E♭♭. A♭ minor 7th flat 5th adds the minor 7th G♭.
Can A♭ minor 7th flat 5th be used in place of A♭ minor?
A♭ minor 7th flat 5th has a flattened fifth, so it sounds more tense than A♭ minor. Use it when you want a darker color.