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A♭ major 7th chord on piano

A♭maj7 is a major 7th chord built on A♭. It uses the notes A♭ - C - E♭ - G and sounds warm, jazzy and relaxed. It is also written as G♯ major 7th.

A♭ major 7th chord keyboard diagram: A♭, C, E♭, GCGA♭E♭
Notes
A♭ C E♭ G
Formula
1 - 3 - 5 - 7
Right hand fingering
1 - 2 - 3 - 5
Left hand fingering
5 - 3 - 2 - 1
Chord symbol
A♭maj7

How to play A♭maj7 step by step

  1. Find A♭. A♭ is the middle black key in each group of three. The same key is also called G♯.
  2. Add C, 4 half steps above A♭.
  3. Add E♭, 7 half steps above A♭.
  4. Add G, 11 half steps above A♭.
  5. Press all 4 keys together with fingers 1 - 2 - 3 - 5 of your right hand. Keep your wrist level and let the weight of your arm do the work.

A♭maj7 inversions

An inversion uses the same notes in a different order. Inversions let your hand move less between chords, which is how pianists make chord changes sound smooth.

A♭maj7 Root position: A♭, C, E♭, GCGA♭E♭
Root positionA♭ - C - E♭ - G
A♭maj7 1st inversion: C, E♭, G, A♭CGE♭A♭
1st inversionC - E♭ - G - A♭
A♭maj7 2nd inversion: E♭, G, A♭, CGCE♭A♭
2nd inversionE♭ - G - A♭ - C
A♭maj7 3rd inversion: G, A♭, C, E♭GCA♭E♭
3rd inversionG - A♭ - C - E♭

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the A♭ major 7th chord?

The A♭ major 7th chord (A♭maj7) contains 4 notes: A♭, C, E♭, G. Its formula is 1 - 3 - 5 - 7.

How do you play A♭maj7 on piano?

Put your right-hand thumb on A♭ and play A♭, C, E♭, G together using fingers 1 - 2 - 3 - 5. With the left hand, use fingers 5 - 3 - 2 - 1.

Is A♭ major 7th the same as G♯ major 7th?

Yes. A♭ major 7th and G♯ major 7th use exactly the same piano keys. The name you see depends on the key signature of the piece.

Other A♭ chords

Other major 7th chords