A♭7 chord on ukulele

A♭7 is A♭, C, E♭ and G♭. The usual shape is 1-3-2-3. Hit Play and watch each string light as it sounds.

How to play A♭7 on ukulele

Shape 1, 1-3-2-3, reading from the G string on the left:

1. Put your index finger on the G string at the 1st fret, which is A♭.
2. Put your middle finger on the E string at the 2nd fret, which is G♭.
3. Put your ring finger on the C string at the 3rd fret, which is E♭.
4. Put your pinky finger on the A string at the 3rd fret, which is C.

• The pinky takes a note here. Keep it curved and close to the fretboard between chords so it has less distance to travel.
• Strum with the pad of your index finger or thumb, all four strings, across the spot where the neck meets the body.

Other ways to play A♭7

• 5-6-4-6: movable shape at the 4th fret, medium. Same notes, stacked differently, so it sounds a little different.
• 8-8-8-9: movable shape at the 8th fret, medium. Up the neck the chord gets thinner and brighter, a good contrast to the open version.
• 11-12-11-11: movable shape at the 11th fret, medium. A high voicing for when the low version is taken by another instrument.

Playing A♭7 with a capo

A capo turns an open chord into A♭7: capo on the 1st fret and play the open G7 shape (0-2-1-2), capo on the 4th fret and play the open E7 shape (1-2-0-2) or capo on the 6th fret and play the open D7 shape (2-2-2-3). Handy when the rest of the song's chords also have open shapes in that position.

A♭7 chord changes

These are the changes you'll meet most often with A♭7, using the first shape of each chord.

• C♯ (the V7 pulls home a fifth below): A♭7 (1-3-2-3) to C♯ (6-5-4-4): move the index finger to the E string, 4th fret, the middle finger goes to the A string, 4th fret, your ring finger lands on the C string, 5th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. The two chords share A♭, which is why the change sounds smooth. C♯ on ukulele
• C♯maj7 (I in D♭ major): A♭7 (1-3-2-3) to C♯maj7 (1-1-1-3): your index and pinky fingers stay put, move the middle finger to the C string, 1st fret, the ring finger goes to the E string, 1st fret. Shared notes: A♭ and C. C♯maj7 on ukulele
• B♭m7 (vi in D♭ major): A♭7 (1-3-2-3) to B♭m7 (1-1-1-1): your index finger stays put, the middle finger goes to the C string, 1st fret, move the ring finger to the E string, 1st fret, the pinky finger goes to the A string, 1st fret. A♭ carries over from one chord to the other. B♭m7 on ukulele

A♭7 is a dominant seventh chord: a major triad with a flattened seventh on top. All 4 notes of A♭7 fit on the ukulele's four strings. The slow arpeggio button above makes that quality easy to hear.

Getting A♭7 under your fingers

Pick shape 1 one string at a time, low to high: A♭, E♭, G♭, C. Every note should ring clearly; if one thuds, adjust that finger before you strum. Then switch to 5-6-4-6 and back four times without looking at your hand.

You may also see it as G♯7; nothing changes on the ukulele.

Where A♭7 shows up

• V7 in D♭ major
• V7 in C♯ minor
• VII7 in B♭ minor

In A♭ major, I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) on ukulele is A♭7 (1-3-2-3), C♯7 (1-1-1-2) and E♭7 (3-3-3-4). About the 12-bar blues.

In D♭ major, ii–V–I on ukulele is E♭m7 (3-3-2-4), A♭7 (1-3-2-3) and C♯maj7 (1-1-1-3). About the jazz cadence.

A♭7 on guitar and piano

A♭7 on guitar and piano uses the same 4 notes in a different layout. See all three together.

Next to try on ukulele

• A♭
• A♭9
• A♭maj7
• G♯m7
• A♭sus4

Other dominant seventh chords

• C7
• C♯7
• D7
• E♭7
• E7
• F7
• F♯7
• G7
• A7
• B♭7
• B7

Every shape above plays only A♭, C, E♭ and G♭, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026. Print this chord