Guitar · major seventh sharp five
A♭maj7♯5 Chord on Guitar
Ab Major 7♯5 is Ab, C, E, G — the 1-3-#5-7 pattern of a major seventh sharp five chord. Here is the shape, the audio, and what usually goes wrong.
There is no open Abmaj7#5 on guitar. The one shape below sits up the neck and is rated advanced.
Start here — Movable Root-5 Shape (11th fret)
Sits at fret 11 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath.
What beginners get wrong
Moving in and out of it
The shape above: Movable Root-5 Shape (11th fret).
Listening: each shape above has its own play button, and each one plays the notes that shape actually produces — not a generic triad.
Abmaj7#5 on other instruments
Same notes, different hands. Every link below is a real page with diagrams and audio.
Chords next door
Same root, different colour — and all of them playable on guitar.
Abmaj7#5 on Guitar — questions people ask
What is the easiest way to play Abmaj7#5 on guitar?
“Movable Root-5 Shape (11th fret)” — which we rate advanced — is the easiest Abmaj7#5 shape on guitar. Sits at fret 11 — tighter and brighter than the low shapes, and high enough to keep out of the way of anyone playing the open version underneath. There is no open Abmaj7#5 on guitar, so a barre is unavoidable; this is the least demanding one.
What notes are in the Ab Major 7♯5 chord?
Ab Major 7♯5 is Ab, C, E, G — the 1-3-#5-7 interval pattern of a major seventh sharp five chord. Every voicing on this page uses those notes and nothing else; they just appear in a different order and octave.
What can I play instead of Abmaj7#5?
The nearest stand-ins on guitar that keep the same root are Ab5, Absus4, Absus2. They keep the root and the fifth and only change what sits in the middle, so most songs still work — but check the swap against the melody, because the note you removed may be the one the tune is singing.
Can I play Abmaj7#5 on other instruments?
Yes. Abmaj7#5 is the same set of notes everywhere; only the fingering changes. This site has diagrams and audio for it on piano.
Learn the theory behind Abmaj7#5
The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.
Borrowed Chords and Modal Mixture — Stealing from Parallel Keys
The raised fifth comes from outside the key. This is where chords like it are borrowed from.
7 min read
Functional Harmony: Three Roles, One Engine
That sharpened fifth is a pull toward the next chord — here is the mechanism.
6 min read
Intervals — The Only Music Theory You Actually Need
Two stacked major thirds, and the symmetry that makes it feel homeless.
5 min read