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Chord · Reference entry

A♭ 7♯9♯11

7♯9♯11 · A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭ – B – D · intervals P1-M3-P5-m7-A9-A11

The A♭ 7♯9♯11 chord (A♭7♯9♯11) contains the notes A♭, C, E♭, G♭, B, and D. Its interval formula is R-M3-P5-m7-A9-A11. A dominant 7th with raised 9th AND raised 11th — maximally tense, the late-Coltrane altered sound.

G♯ 7♯9♯11
This is the same chord as G♯ 7♯9♯11 — the same keys on the keyboard, spelled with sharps.

At the keyboard

Ab · C · Eb · Gb · B · D
Flashcards · Chord
Three questions on A♭ 7♯9♯11
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A♭7♯9♯11

The A♭ 7♯9♯11 chord is a six-note chord made up of A♭, C, E♭, G♭, B, and D. It is built from a root, major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh, augmented ninth, and augmented eleventh.

Construction

A♭ 7♯9♯11 = Root + Major 3rd + Perfect 5th + Minor 7th + Minor 3rd + Diminished 5th = A♭ · C · E♭ · G♭ · B · D
NoteIntervalDegree
A♭Root1
CMajor 3rd3
E♭Perfect 5th5
G♭Minor 7th♭7
BMinor 3rd♭3
DDiminished 5th♭5

Key Signature

A chord has no key signature of its own, but the A♭ 7♯9♯11 is the tonic (I) chord of Ab Major, whose key signature has 4 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭).

B♭E♭A♭D♭

Order of flats

Flats are added in a fixed order — the reverse of the sharp order. Each new flat key adds the next flat on the list.

BEADGCF

Mnemonic: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’ Father

Chords in the Key of A♭ Major

These are the triads built on each degree of the A♭ major scale:

C1C2C3C4CC6C7C8A♭E♭
IA♭ Major (major)
DegreeNumeralChordQuality
1IA♭ MajorMajor
2iiB♭ MinorMinor
3iiiC MinorMinor
4IVD♭ MajorMajor
5VE♭ MajorMajor
6viF MinorMinor
7vii°G DiminishedDiminished

A♭ 7♯9♯11 — Frequently Asked Questions

What is the A♭ 7♯9♯11 chord on piano?
The A♭ 7♯9♯11 chord contains the notes A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭ – B – D. On piano, play these notes together to sound the chord.
What notes are in the Ab 7♯9♯11 chord?
The Ab 7♯9♯11 chord (Ab7♯9♯11) contains 6 notes: Ab, C, Eb, Gb, B, D. Formula: R-M3-P5-m7-A9-A11.
How is Ab7♯9♯11 used in music?
Ab7♯9♯11 is used in jazz, fusion, and contemporary music to add harmonic color. It appears as a dominant or tonic chord depending on context.
What is the scale degree formula for Ab7♯9♯11?
Ab7♯9♯11 uses scale degrees 1-3-5-b7-#9-#11, giving it its distinctive sound.

Related Tools

Chord FinderLook up any chord — see the notes, hear it, and play along.Chord DrillTimed drills to build speed and recognition across all chord types.Practice RoomPlug in a MIDI keyboard and get real-time feedback on every chord and scale.Circle of FifthsVisualize key relationships, relative minors, and key signatures.MIDI MonitorLive MIDI message stream with note names, velocity, and a scrolling staff.

References & Further Reading

The note names, intervals, fingering, and harmony on this chord page are grounded in the following sources. Public domain treatises and scores are linked to their full text; primary data is piano.org's own interval-derived reference dataset — continuously maintained and human-verified, with no fixed publication date.

  1. 1

    Prout, Ebenezer(1889)

    Harmony: Its Theory and Practice

    Public domain treatise
  2. 2

    Goetschius, Percy(1889)

    The Material Used in Musical Composition

    Public domain treatise
  3. 3

    Riemann, Hugo(1896)

    Harmony Simplified (English translation)

    Public domain treatise
  4. 4

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Entry reviewed and maintained by Justin Evans. Corrections are read and applied.Report an error

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