A♭maj7: G♯/A♭ Major 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♭	Perfect fifth	7
7	G	Major seventh	11

Construction

A♭ Major 7th = Root + Major 3rd + Perfect 5th + Major 7th = A♭, C, E♭, G

Note	Interval	Degree
A♭	Root	1
C	Major 3rd	3
E♭	Perfect 5th	5
G	Major 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♭	black	ring finger (4)	middle finger (3)
G	white	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♭ Major 7th Inversions

Root position
A♭ – C – E♭ – G
1st inversion (A♭maj7/C)
C – E♭ – G – A♭
2nd inversion (A♭maj7/E♭)
E♭ – G – A♭ – C
3rd inversion (A♭maj7/G)
G – A♭ – C – E♭

Key Signature

A chord has no key signature of its own, but the A♭ Major 7th is the tonic (I) chord of A♭ 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.

B♭E♭A♭D♭G♭C♭F♭

Mnemonic: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’ Father

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

How A♭ Major 7th functions in a key

The same chord takes on a different harmonic role depending on the key it appears in. Here is where A♭ Major 7th sits diatonically across the common keys:

In A♭ major, A♭ Major 7th is the I chord — the tonic.
In C minor, A♭ Major 7th is the VI chord — the tonic.
In E♭ major, A♭ Major 7th is the IV chord — a predominant.
In F minor, A♭ Major 7th is the III chord — a mediant / color chord.

Scales That Include the A♭ Major 7th

Ab Major (Imaj7)
Eb Major (IVmaj7)
C Minor (♭VImaj7)
F Minor (♭IIImaj7)
Bb Dorian (VII)
C Phrygian (VI)
Db Lydian (V)
Eb Mixolydian (IV)

A♭ Major 7th : Frequently Asked Questions

What is the A♭ Major 7th chord on piano?

The A♭ Major 7th chord contains the notes A♭ – C – E♭ – G. On piano, play these notes together to sound the chord.

What notes are in the Ab Major 7th chord?

The Ab Major 7th chord (Abmaj7) contains four notes: Ab (root), C (major third), Eb (perfect fifth), and G (major seventh). The major seventh gives this chord its warm, lush, sophisticated quality.

How does Ab Major 7th differ from Ab Dominant 7th?

Both contain Ab, C, and Eb. The difference is the seventh: Abmaj7 has G (major seventh) while Ab7 has Gb (minor seventh). Abmaj7 sounds warm and resolved; Ab7 sounds tense and pulls toward Db Major.

How is Ab Major 7th used in music?

Abmaj7 is the I chord in jazz harmony in Ab Major. Ab is a beloved key for vocalists and R&B: Abmaj7 appears frequently in soul, gospel, neo-soul, and jazz ballads. It is also the IV chord in Eb Major, another common jazz key.

What genres commonly use Major 7th chords?

Major 7th chords are foundational in jazz, bossa nova, neo-soul, R&B, city pop, and lo-fi hip-hop. They also appear in classical impressionism and sophisticated pop. The lush quality is a signature of harmonically rich music.

What songs use Major 7th chords?

Major 7th chords appear in The Girl from Ipanema (Jobim), Don't Know Why (Norah Jones), and countless jazz standards. Stevie Wonder's catalogue is filled with major 7th voicings. Abmaj7 is especially common in R&B and gospel contexts.

Can I substitute Ab Major 7th for Ab Major?

Yes: Abmaj7 can replace Ab Major for richer harmony. The exception is when the melody sits on Ab, since the G–Ab semitone can clash. In R&B and neo-soul, this substitution is almost expected.

A♭ Major 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 E♭4 G4	11	151 mm	none	identical
Close, first inversion	C4 E♭4 G4 A♭4	8	110 mm	none	identical
Close, second inversion	E♭4 G4 A♭4 C5	9	124 mm	none	identical
Close, third inversion	G4 A♭4 C5 E♭5	8	110 mm	none	identical
Drop 2	E♭3 A♭3 C4 G4	16	220 mm	none	identical
Drop 3	C3 A♭3 E♭4 G4	19	261 mm	none	identical
Drop 2 and 4	A♭2 E♭3 C4 G4	23	316 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 G3 C4	16	220 mm	omits E♭	subset
Guide tones, 3 and 7	C4 G4	7	96 mm	omits A♭ and E♭	subset
Rootless close	C4 E♭4 G4	7	96 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, E♭4, G4	7	11	151 mm
First inversion: A♭maj7/C	C	C4, E♭4, G4, A♭4	6/5	8	110 mm
Second inversion: A♭maj7/E♭	E♭	E♭4, G4, A♭4, C5	4/3	9	124 mm
Third inversion: A♭maj7/G	G	G4, A♭4, C5, E♭5	4/2	8	110 mm

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

Progression	Key	Role	Sequence	Voice leading
♭VI, iv, i, v	C minor	♭VImaj7	A♭maj7 to Fm7 to Cm7 to Gm7	A♭maj7 opens the phrase
i, ♭VI	C minor	♭VImaj7	Cm7 to A♭maj7	3 tones held from Cm7
IV, V, I	E♭ major	IVmaj7	A♭maj7 to B♭7 to E♭maj7	A♭maj7 opens the phrase
I, IV	E♭ major	IVmaj7	E♭maj7 to A♭maj7	2 tones held from E♭maj7
♭III, ♭VI, ii, v	F minor	♭IIImaj7	A♭maj7 to D♭maj7 to Gm7♭5 to Cm7	A♭maj7 opens the phrase
i, ♭III	F minor	♭IIImaj7	Fm7 to A♭maj7	3 tones held from Fm7
ii, V, I	A♭ major	Imaj7	B♭m7 to E♭7 to A♭maj7	2 tones held from E♭7
IV, I	A♭ major	Imaj7	D♭maj7 to A♭maj7	2 tones held from D♭maj7
I, vi, ii, V	A♭ major	Imaj7	A♭maj7 to Fm7 to B♭m7 to E♭7	A♭maj7 opens the phrase

Root motion, common tones and voice displacement are computed from pitch class sets. Roman numerals follow common practice functional harmony.

Which keys it belongs to

Key	Roman numeral	Function
C minor	♭VImaj7	Pre-dominant color
E♭ major	IVmaj7	Subdominant, away from home
F minor	♭IIImaj7	Relative-major color
A♭ major	Imaj7	Tonic, home

Classification system: common-practice functional harmony.

Change one note

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

Chord	Change	Formula	Common tones
A♭maj9	adds B♭	1 3 5 7 9	4
A♭	drops G	1 3 5	3
A♭7	G becomes G♭	1 3 5 ♭7	3
A♭mMaj7	C becomes C♭	1 ♭3 5 7	3
A♭6	G becomes F	1 3 5 6	3
A♭add9	G becomes B♭	1 3 5 9	3
A♭9	G becomes G♭, B♭	1 3 5 ♭7 9	3
A♭m	C, G becomes C♭	1 ♭3 5	2
A♭aug	E♭, G becomes E	1 3 ♯5	2
A♭sus2	C, G becomes B♭	1 2 5	2
A♭sus4	C, G becomes D♭	1 4 5	2
A♭m7	C, G becomes C♭, G♭	1 ♭3 5 ♭7	2

Frequencies

Note	MIDI	Frequency
A♭3	56	207.65 Hz
C4	60	261.63 Hz
E♭4	63	311.13 Hz
G4	67	392.00 Hz

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

Set theory: prime form, Forte number, interval vector

Absolute pitch class set: {8, 0, 3, 7}
Normal order: [7, 8, 0, 3]
Prime form: (0158)
Forte number: 4-20
Interval vector: <101220>

Pair	Interval	Semitones	Interval class
A♭ to C	Major third	4	4
A♭ to E♭	Perfect fifth	7	5
A♭ to G	Major seventh	11	1
C to E♭	Minor third	3	3
C to G	Perfect fifth	7	5
E♭ to G	Major third	4	4

Where these facts come from

Every value on this page is derived from the note formula for a major 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♭ Major 7th

Fingerings

A♭ Major 7th: notes and degrees