Chord · Ab Dominant 7th
A♭7 Chord
A♭7 is Ab, C, Eb and Gb — tense; wants to resolve down a fifth. Blues and jazz workhorse.
A♭7 on every instrument
The same 4 notes, 6 sets of hands. Open a diagram for alternate shapes, audio and the mistakes to avoid.
What A♭7 is made of
Ab Dominant 7th (Ab dominant 7th) is built from the notes Ab, C, Eb, Gb, with the interval pattern 1, 3, 5, b7. A common dominant 7th chord across many styles.
Stack 1, 3, 5 and b7 on a root of A♭ and you get Ab, C, Eb and Gb. That interval recipe is what makes the chord a seventh chord — move the same shape to another root and the character travels with it, which is why C7 sounds like a transposed A♭7.
Dominant 7th: Tense; wants to resolve down a fifth. Blues and jazz workhorse.
Spelling: the notes above are written the way a score would write them, not simplified to the nearest piano key. That is why this chord is spelled with A♭ rather than its enharmonic equivalent.
Keys that contain A♭7
All 4 notes sit inside the scale of 4 keys. The roman numeral marks the degree the chord is rooted on.
Other chords on A♭
Same root, different colour.
The same seventh shape, moved
The identical interval recipe, built on other roots.
Questions people ask about Ab7
- What notes are in the Ab7 chord?
- Ab7 is made of Ab, C, Eb and Gb — the 1, 3, 5 and b7 degrees of a seventh chord built on Ab.
- What keys use the Ab7 chord?
- Every note of Ab7 belongs to 4 keys: Db Major (V), C# Major (V), Bb Minor (VII), A# Minor (VII). The roman numeral is the scale degree the chord is rooted on.
- How do you play Ab7 on guitar and piano?
- This page shows Ab7 on guitar, piano, ukulele, bass, mandolin and banjo — 10 voicings in total. Each diagram links to the full instrument page with alternate shapes, audio and common mistakes.
- Is Ab7 the same as G#7?
- Yes. Ab7 and G#7 are enharmonic — identical pitches written two different ways. Which spelling you use depends on the key you are in; Ab7 is the spelling this site treats as canonical.
Learn the theory behind it
Why A♭7 behaves the way it does — the guides that explain the chord instead of just spelling it.