About the A♭7 chord
The dominant seventh adds a flattened seventh to a major chord. It has a bluesy tension that wants to resolve, usually to the chord a fourth above. Blues and rock lean on it heavily. The symbol for it is A♭7. (also written G♯7)
How to play A♭7
- Lay your index finger flat across the top 4 strings at fret 1, pressing just behind the fret.
- Put your middle finger on the high E string at fret 2.
- Put your ring finger on the A string at fret 3.
- Put your little finger on the low E string at fret 4.
- Strum all six strings.
1 index · 2 middle · 3 ring · 4 little
Chords in the key of A♭ major
These are the chords built on each note of the A♭ major scale, so they all sound good together with A♭7. The Roman numeral under each one is its position in the key.
Other A♭ chords
A♭7 chord questions
What notes are in a A♭7 chord?
A♭7 is made of A♭, C, E♭ and G♭. In intervals that is 1, 3, 5, ♭7 above the root, A♭.
What is the easiest way to play A♭7?
The first shape above is the most common one: 4 3 1 1 1 2 from the low E string to the high E, where x means don't play that string and 0 means play it open. It uses a barre, so if that is hard at first, try one of the other shapes.
Is A♭7 a barre chord?
The main shape uses a barre, where one finger holds down several strings at once. Press just behind the fret and roll the finger slightly onto its side.