The A♭ Minor 7th chord is a four-note chord made up of A♭, C♭, E♭, and G♭. It is built from a root, minor third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh.
Construction
| Note | Interval | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| A♭ | Root | 1 |
| C♭ | Minor 3rd | ♭3 |
| E♭ | Perfect 5th | 5 |
| G♭ | Minor 7th | ♭7 |
A♭ Minor 7th Inversions
| Position | Notes |
|---|---|
| Root Position | A♭ – C♭ – E♭ – G♭ |
| 1st Inversion | C♭ – E♭ – G♭ – A♭ |
| 2nd Inversion | E♭ – G♭ – A♭ – C♭ |
| 3rd Inversion | G♭ – A♭ – C♭ – E♭ |
Key Signature
A chord has no key signature of its own, but the A♭ Minor 7th is the tonic (i) chord of Ab Minor, which shares the signature of its relative major, Cb Major — 7 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, F♭).
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.
Mnemonic: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’ Father
Chords in the Key of A♭ Minor
These are the triads built on each degree of the A♭ minor scale:
How A♭ Minor 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♭ Minor 7th sits diatonically across the common keys:
- In C♭ major, A♭ Minor 7th is the vi chord — the tonic.
- In A♭ minor, A♭ Minor 7th is the i chord — the tonic.
- In G♭ major, A♭ Minor 7th is the ii chord — a predominant.
- In E♭ minor, A♭ Minor 7th is the iv chord — a predominant.
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: