Chords › A♭7

A Flat 7 Chord on Guitar

4fr1321

E-shape barre

A♭7 is a dominant seventh chord: a major chord with a flat seventh added, which makes it want to move on. A♭7 has no open shape, so it is usually played as an E-shape barre chord at the 4th fret.

How to play A♭7, finger by finger

  1. Lay your index finger flat across strings 6 to 1 at the 4th fret.
  2. Put your middle finger on string 3 at the 5th fret.
  3. Put your ring finger on string 5 at the 6th fret.
  4. Strum all six strings.

More ways to play A♭7

11fr134
A-shape barre from fret 11
3241
Barre near the nut
3fr2134
Movable, fret 3 from fret 3
4fr1423
Movable, fret 4 from fret 4
5fr2134
Movable, fret 5 from fret 5
6fr1324
Movable, fret 6 from fret 6
9fr3241
Movable, fret 9 from fret 9
11fr1324
Movable, fret 11 from fret 11

Notes in A♭7

NoteIntervalRole
A♭1root
C3major third
E♭5fifth
G♭♭7flat seventh

Formula: 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7

Questions about A♭7

What notes are in A♭7?

A♭, C, E♭ and G♭. Those are the 1, 3, 5, ♭7 of the chord, counted from A♭.

Which strings do I strum for A♭7?

All six strings.

Is A♭7 the same as G♯7?

Yes, on guitar they are played the same way and sound the same. A flat and G sharp are two names for one note: songs in sharp keys write G♯, songs in flat keys write A♭.

What chord does A♭7 lead to?

Most often C♯. A♭7 is the five chord of C♯, so it pulls strongly back to C♯.

Often played with A♭7

Other 7 chords