A♭maj7 chord
A♭maj7 is A♭, C, E♭ and G: 1–3–5–7 built on A♭. Below: guitar, piano and ukulele, each playable.
On guitar
4-6-5-5-4-4 · barre · medium
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E♭ · G
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7
- First shape
- 4-6-5-5-4-4
A♭maj7 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · A♭–C–E♭–G · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E♭ · G
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7
A♭maj7 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
1-3-3-3 · movable · medium
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E♭ · G
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7
- First shape
- 1-3-3-3
A♭maj7 and the chords around it
Here's what the hand does on the most common changes, on guitar and on piano.
- A♭maj7 → C♯maj7 (IV in A♭ major)
Guitar: A♭maj7 (4-6-5-5-4-4) to C♯maj7 (x-4-6-5-6-4): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 4th fret, the middle finger slides across to the G string at the same fret, the ring finger goes to the D string, 6th fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. Listen for A♭ and C, which stay put while the rest moves.
Piano: A♭maj7 to C♯maj7: play C♯maj7 in 2nd inversion (G♯–B♯–C♯–E♯) and G♯ and B♯ stay under the same fingers, while E♭ moves down to C♯ and G down to E♯. C♯maj7 - A♭maj7 → E♭7 (V in A♭ major)
Guitar: A♭maj7 (4-6-5-5-4-4) to E♭7 (x-x-1-3-2-3): move the index finger to the D string, 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the B string, 2nd fret, the ring finger goes to the G string, 3rd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Shared notes: E♭ and G.
Piano: A♭maj7 to E♭7: play E♭7 in 2nd inversion (B♭–D♭–E♭–G) and E♭ and G stay under the same fingers, while A♭ moves up to B♭ and C up to D♭. E♭7 - A♭maj7 → Fm7 (vi in A♭ major)
Guitar: A♭maj7 (4-6-5-5-4-4) to Fm7 (1-3-1-1-1-1): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 1st fret, move the middle finger to the A string, 3rd fret. Shared notes: A♭, C and E♭.
Piano: A♭maj7 to Fm7: play Fm7 in 1st inversion (A♭–C–E♭–F) and A♭, C and E♭ stay under the same fingers, while G moves down to F. Fm7
Guitar with a capo: capo 1, Gmaj7 shape; capo 3, Fmaj7 shape; capo 4, Emaj7 shape; capo 6, Dmaj7 shape. Ukulele with a capo: capo 1, Gmaj7 shape; capo 3, Fmaj7 shape.
How A♭maj7 is built
A♭maj7 is a major seventh chord: a major triad with the note a half step below the octave added. The result is soft and a little dreamy, the sound of bossa nova, soul ballads and a lot of indie guitar.
From A♭, go 4 half steps up to C, 3 half steps up to E♭ then 4 half steps up to G. Written with flats or sharps the other way round it's G♯maj7; the sound is identical.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| A♭ | root | 0 | |
| C | major third | 4 | |
| E♭ | perfect fifth | 7 | |
| G | major seventh | 11 |
Keys and progressions with A♭maj7
You'll find A♭maj7 as I7 in A♭ major and IV7 in E♭ major. On the minor side it's III7 in F minor and VI7 in C minor.
Play ii–V–I in A♭ major and you get B♭m7 – E♭7 – A♭maj7. the jazz cadence
Chords close to A♭maj7
- A♭maj7 is A♭ plus G. A♭
- A♭maj7 and A♭7 differ by one note: G in A♭maj7, G♭ in A♭7. They share A♭, C and E♭. A♭7
Chords that share most of their notes with A♭maj7: Cm, A♭, Cm7, Cm6, E♭6, Fm7.
Every A♭ chord
A♭maj7 chord: questions
What notes are in the A♭maj7 chord?
A♭, C, E♭ and G. A♭maj7 is built 1–3–5–7 from A♭: C is the major third, E♭ is the perfect fifth and G is the major seventh.
How do you play A♭maj7 on guitar?
The usual shape is 4-6-5-5-4-4 (barre). All 4 guitar shapes.
How do you play A♭maj7 on piano?
Play A♭, C, E♭ and G with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-5. A♭ sits on the middle black key of the three. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play A♭maj7 on ukulele?
1-3-3-3 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is A♭maj7 in?
You'll find A♭maj7 as I7 in A♭ major and IV7 in E♭ major. On the minor side it's III7 in F minor and VI7 in C minor.
What's the difference between A♭maj7 and A♭?
A♭maj7 is A♭ plus G.
Diagrams and sound come from the same data, tested so they match. Updated September 2026.