Ukulele · major seventh
A♭maj7 Chord on Ukulele
Ab Major 7th is Ab, C, Eb, G — the 1-3-5-7 pattern of a major seventh chord. There are 2 ways to play it on ukulele, ranked below from easiest to hardest.
There is no open Abmaj7 shape on ukulele — every version sits up the neck. The one marked “Gmaj7 Shape (movable) (1st fret)” below is the friendliest grip, so start there.
Start here — Gmaj7 Shape (movable) (1st fret)
Fingered low on the neck with no barre — a useful middle step between the open shape and the movable ones.
Every way to play it — 2 shapes, easiest first
Same chord in all of them. What changes is how much your hand has to do and where on the neck it sits.
Gmaj7 Shape (movable) (1st fret) Way 1 of 2
Gmaj7 Shape (movable) (1st fret)
Easiest here· intermediate· the standard shape
Fingered low on the neck with no barre — a useful middle step between the open shape and the movable ones.
Amaj7 Shape (movable) (11th fret) Way 2 of 2
Amaj7 Shape (movable) (11th fret)
intermediate
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: Gmaj7 Shape (movable) (1st 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 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 ukulele.
Abmaj7 on Ukulele — questions people ask
What is the easiest way to play Abmaj7 on ukulele?
“Gmaj7 Shape (movable) (1st fret)” — which we rate intermediate — is the easiest Abmaj7 shape on ukulele. Fingered low on the neck with no barre — a useful middle step between the open shape and the movable ones. There is no open Abmaj7 on ukulele, so a barre is unavoidable; this is the least demanding one.
What notes are in the Ab Major 7th chord?
Ab Major 7th is Ab, C, Eb, G — the 1-3-5-7 interval pattern of a major seventh chord. Every voicing on this page uses those notes and nothing else; they just appear in a different order and octave.
How many ways can you play Abmaj7 on ukulele?
This page has 2 Abmaj7 voicings for ukulele, ranked from easiest to hardest: Gmaj7 Shape (movable) (1st fret), Amaj7 Shape (movable) (11th fret). They all sound like Abmaj7; the differences are how hard they are to hold and how high they sit.
What can I play instead of Abmaj7?
The nearest stand-ins on ukulele 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 on other instruments?
Yes. Abmaj7 is the same set of notes everywhere; only the fingering changes. This site has diagrams and audio for it on guitar, piano, bass, mandolin, banjo.
Learn the theory behind Abmaj7
The shape gets your fingers there. These explain why it sounds the way it does.