Piano chord
A♭ 7 chord
A♭7 is a dominant seventh chord: the root A♭, a major 3rd up to C, a perfect 5th up to E♭ and a minor 7th up to G♭.
- Symbol
- A♭7
- Notes
- A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭
Play it yourself
Tap A♭, C, E♭ and G♭ on the keys below, in any order.
- A♭
- C
- E♭
- G♭
Dominant seventh chords add a minor seventh to a major triad. That extra note creates the pull you hear at the end of a phrase, and it is the backbone of blues and jazz.
Inversions of A♭7
An inversion keeps the same notes but puts a different one at the bottom. Pianists use them to move between chords with less jumping.
- Root position
A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭
- 1st inversion · A♭7/C
C – E♭ – G♭ – A♭
- 2nd inversion · A♭7/E♭
E♭ – G♭ – A♭ – C
- 3rd inversion · A♭7/G♭
G♭ – A♭ – C – E♭
Keys with A♭7
A♭7 occurs naturally in these keys. The Roman numeral shows which step of the scale it is built on.
- V7 · D♭ major
- VII7 · B♭ minor