Dominant 7th chord · Ab root
Ab7 chord
- Ab1
- C3
- Eb5
- Gb♭7
The Ab dominant 7th chord (also called the G#7 chord — same notes, different spelling) is built from the notes Ab, C, Eb, Gb. A dominant 7th shape you will meet in barre-chord territory.
By Chiye · Updated
What is the Ab7 chord?
The Ab7 chord (Ab dominant 7th) is a dominant 7th chord built from four notes: Ab, C, Eb, Gb — the 1–3–5–♭7 of the Ab scale, 4 semitones and 7 semitones and 10 semitones above the root. On guitar it is most often played as a movable shape from fret 4 (4-6-4-5-4-4); shift all fretted notes together to transpose it along the neck. It is rated intermediate. A tense, bluesy chord that wants to resolve down a fifth. Below you will find step-by-step fingering, 3 positions up the neck, audio of every shape, and the real progressions this chord lives inside.
How do you play the Ab7 chord on guitar?
Fret 4 barre — a movable shape, so this same fingering works for every root note.
- Lay your index finger flat across the low E to high E strings at fret 4, rolled slightly onto its bony edge.
- Press the A string at fret 6 with your ring finger.
- Press the G string at fret 5 with your middle finger.
- Strum all six strings and let every one ring.
Leave out the lowest fretted note (low E string) and practise the remaining strings. The bass changes, and the upper strings may still need a smaller barre; check that the third and other colour tones stay clear. x-6-4-5-4-4
How do you make Ab7 sound clean?
Ab7 is a barre at the 4th fret with only two fingers above it — ring on the A string at the 6th, middle on the G string at the 5th. Players add a third finger the shape does not contain and end up on Abm or Abmaj7, and the flat seventh (Gb, on the barred fourth string) gets smothered.
Barre at 4, pick all six strings one at a time, and only strum once every one rings. Then Ab7 → Db → Ab7: the V7–I of Db major.
In real songs
Ab7 in songs
None of the 90 songs charted on this site use Ab7 yet — it is a colour chord rather than a songwriting staple.
What other ways can you play Ab7 up the neck?
2 more positions below. These are the same notes in a different part of the neck. Choosing the position closest to the chord you just played is what stops your hand jumping between changes.
Position 2 · Fret 6
No open strings, so this is a movable shape: slide it up or down and the same fingering gives you a different chord name.
At fret 6 the neck is still wide enough to keep your thumb behind it, which gives the fingers more reach than a thumb-over grip.
Position 3 · Fret 11 barre
Every note here is fretted, which means the shape transposes anywhere on the neck without changing your fingers.
The barre is the only hard part of this shape. Keep the bar finger straight and use the weight of your arm rather than the grip of your thumb.
The theory behind Ab7
Ab7 is spelled Ab – C – Eb – Gb — the 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7 of the Ab scale, which is the root plus 4 semitones, 7 semitones, 10 semitones. A tense, bluesy chord that wants to resolve down a fifth.
The flat seventh is a whole tone below the octave, and it is the note that creates the pull toward the chord a fifth below Ab7. Mute that note by accident and the chord turns into a plain major triad.
What key is the Ab7 chord in?
Ab7 is the V7 in the key of Db — in both Db major and C# minor — which is exactly why it resolves to Db.
the dominant — the flat seventh is what pulls it home
the same dominant job in the minor key
Ab7 on other instruments
Ab – C – Eb – Gb — the highlighted black keys are the sharps or flats; play each note once, then move them into one hand position.
Take it to the practice room
