A♭aug7: G♯/A♭ Augmented 7th Piano Chord

Root position: either hand, fingers low note to high
Hand	Notes	Fingers
Right	A♭, C, E, G♭	2-3-4-5
Left	A♭, C, E, G♭	5-4-3-2

Scale degree, note, and interval measured from the root.
Degree	Note	Interval from root	Semitones
1	A♭	Perfect unison	0
3	C	Major third	4
♯5	E	Minor sixth	8
♭7	G♭	Minor seventh	10

Construction

A♭ Augmented 7th = Root + Major 3rd + Minor 6th + Minor 7th = A♭, C, E, G♭

Note	Interval	Degree
A♭	Root	1
C	Major 3rd	3
E	Minor 6th	♯5
G♭	Minor 7th	♭7

Fingering

Note	Key color	Right hand	Left hand
A♭	black	index finger (2)	little finger (5)
C	white	middle finger (3)	ring finger (4)
E	white	ring finger (4)	middle finger (3)
G♭	black	little finger (5)	index finger (2)

Right hand: index finger (2) on A♭, middle finger (3) on C, ring finger (4) on E, little finger (5) on G♭.

Left hand: little finger (5) on A♭, ring finger (4) on C, middle finger (3) on E, index finger (2) on G♭.

A♭ Augmented 7th Inversions

Root position
A♭ – C – E – G♭
1st inversion (A♭aug7/C)
C – E – G♭ – A♭
2nd inversion (A♭aug7/E)
E – G♭ – A♭ – C
3rd inversion (A♭aug7/G♭)
G♭ – A♭ – C – E

Key Signature

A Augmented 7th chord is built from symmetrical or ambiguous intervals, so it doesn't belong to a single key and has no key signature of its own.

Chords in the Key of A♭ Major

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

I — A♭ Major (major)

Degree	Numeral	Chord	Quality
1	I	A♭ Major	Major
2	ii	B♭ Minor	Minor
3	iii	C Minor	Minor
4	IV	D♭ Major	Major
5	V	E♭ Major	Major
6	vi	F Minor	Minor
7	vii°	G Diminished	Diminished

Same Notes, Other Names

The notes A♭ – C – E – G♭ aren’t exclusive to this chord. Depending on which note is the bass and how the chord functions, the same pitches also spell:

A♭ 7♯5→

A♭ Augmented 7th : Frequently Asked Questions

What notes are in A♭aug7?

A♭aug7 contains A♭, C, E and G♭. The formula is 1, 3, ♯5, ♭7.

How do you play A♭aug7 on piano?

Play A♭, C, E and G♭ together. Right hand fingers 2, 3, 4, 5; left hand 5, 4, 3, 2. A♭ and G♭ are black keys; C and E are white.

What are the inversions of A♭aug7?

4 positions: root position A♭ C E G♭, A♭aug7/C, A♭aug7/E, A♭aug7/G♭.

What is the difference between A♭aug7 and A♭aug?

Drops G♭. 3 of the notes are shared.

What is an easy A♭aug7 for small hands?

The guide tones, 3 and ♭7 voicing, C4 G♭4, spans 6 semitones or about 83 mm.

What are the frequencies of A♭aug7?

From A♭3 at A440 in 12-TET: 207.65, 261.63, 329.63, 369.99 Hz.

What is the set class of A♭aug7?

Prime form (0248), Forte 4-24, interval vector <020301>.

How do I transpose A♭aug7 to another key?

Keep the 1, 3, ♯5, ♭7 formula on the new root. Caug7 is C, E, G♯, B♭; D♭aug7 is D♭, F, A, C♭.

Is G♯aug7 the same as A♭aug7?

Enharmonically yes: the same piano keys and the same sound, spelled differently.

A♭ Augmented 7th in detail

Exact

Every pitch class is present and nothing outside the chord is added.

Type	Notes	Semitones	Span	Omissions and additions	Set relation
Close, root position	A♭3 C4 E4 G♭4	10	138 mm	none	identical
Close, first inversion	C4 E4 G♭4 A♭4	8	110 mm	none	identical
Close, second inversion	E4 G♭4 A♭4 C5	8	110 mm	none	identical
Close, third inversion	G♭4 A♭4 C5 E5	10	138 mm	none	identical
Drop 2	E3 A♭3 C4 G♭4	14	193 mm	none	identical
Drop 3	C3 A♭3 E4 G♭4	18	248 mm	none	identical
Drop 2 and 4	A♭2 E3 C4 G♭4	22	303 mm	none	identical

Reduced

A subset of the pitch classes: the identity is incomplete rather than altered.

Type	Notes	Semitones	Span	Omissions and additions	Set relation
Shell, root ♭7 3	A♭2 G♭3 C4	16	220 mm	omits E	subset
Guide tones, 3 and ♭7	C4 G♭4	6	83 mm	omits A♭ and E	subset
Rootless close	C4 E4 G♭4	6	83 mm	omits A♭	subset

Spans are measured centre to centre at a 165 mm octave (standard keyboard geometry).

Position	Bass note	Notes in order	Figured bass	Semitones	Span
Root position	A♭	A♭3, C4, E4, G♭4	7	10	138 mm
First inversion: A♭aug7/C	C	C4, E4, G♭4, A♭4	6/5	8	110 mm
Second inversion: A♭aug7/E	E	E4, G♭4, A♭4, C5	4/3	8	110 mm
Third inversion: A♭aug7/G♭	G♭	G♭4, A♭4, C5, E5	4/2	10	138 mm

One position per chord tone in the bass. Spans are for close position: voiced inversions appear under Voicings.

Change one note

Chords a single note away, and what moving that note does.

Chord	Change	Formula	Common tones
A♭aug	drops G♭	1 3 ♯5	3
A♭7	E becomes E♭	1 3 5 ♭7	3
A♭9	E becomes E♭, B♭	1 3 5 ♭7 9	3
A♭	E, G♭ becomes E♭	1 3 5	2
A♭maj7	E, G♭ becomes E♭, G	1 3 5 7	2
A♭m7	C, E becomes C♭, E♭	1 ♭3 5 ♭7	2
A♭m7♭5	C, E becomes C♭, E♭♭	1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7	2
A♭7sus4	C, E becomes D♭, E♭	1 4 5 ♭7	2
A♭6	E, G♭ becomes E♭, F	1 3 5 6	2
A♭add9	E, G♭ becomes E♭, B♭	1 3 5 9	2

Frequencies

Note	MIDI	Frequency
A♭3	56	207.65 Hz
C4	60	261.63 Hz
E4	64	329.63 Hz
G♭4	66	369.99 Hz

Reference pitch A440, 12-TET, close root position.

Set theory: prime form, Forte number, interval vector

Absolute pitch class set: {8, 0, 4, 6}
Normal order: [4, 6, 8, 0]
Prime form: (0248)
Forte number: 4-24
Interval vector: <020301>

Pair	Interval	Semitones	Interval class
A♭ to C	Major third	4	4
A♭ to E	Minor sixth	8	4
A♭ to G♭	Minor seventh	10	2
C to E	Major third	4	4
C to G♭	Tritone	6	6
E to G♭	Major second	2	2

Where these facts come from

Every value on this page is derived from the note formula for a augmented 7th applied to the root A♭, using standard music theory. Nothing here is hand-entered per chord, so the notes, intervals, inversions and frequencies cannot drift out of agreement with each other. Pitches assume 12-TET at A440.

A♭ Augmented 7th

Fingerings

A♭ Augmented 7th: notes and degrees