Ways to play A♭7
Lowest on the neck first. Tap a shape to put it on the fretboard above and hear it. The numbers are fingers (1 is your index), × means leave that string out, and ○ means let it ring open.
What's in A♭7
A dominant 7th is a major triad plus a flat 7th, the note a whole step below the root. A♭7 is A♭, C, E♭, G♭. The 3rd (C) and ♭7 (G♭) are a tritone apart, and that tension is what makes the chord want to move.
| Note | Formula | Interval from A♭ |
|---|---|---|
| A♭ | 1 | Root |
| C | 3 | Major 3rd |
| E♭ | 5 | Perfect 5th |
| G♭ | ♭7 | Minor 7th |
On its own it sounds unfinished, so in most music it is the V chord that leads home: A♭7 to D♭. Blues is the exception. There every chord can be a dominant 7th and nothing has to resolve.
Keys that use A♭7
Every major and minor key whose scale contains all of A♭, C, E♭ and G♭, and the chord's Roman numeral in each. Minor keys marked harmonic get the chord from the raised 7th of the harmonic minor scale.
| Key | A♭7 is the |
|---|---|
| D♭ major | V7 |
| C♯ minor (harmonic) | V7 |
| B♭ minor | VII7 |
Progressions to try
V7–I in D♭ major
What a dominant 7th is for: the ♭7 and 3rd pull hard toward the chord a fourth up.
Related chords
Other chords on A♭: