A♭ dominant seventh (A♭7) chord on mandolin

Looking for the A♭7 chord on mandolin? It is a dominant seventh chord (a major triad plus a minor seventh), made of four notes: A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭. The same chord with a different spelling: G♯ dominant seventh (G♯7).

Dots show:

Basic shapeeasy

Position 3medium

Position 10medium

Tap a string on a diagram to hear just that string. The sound is generated in your browser with a physical string model.

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What the A♭7 chord sounds like

The dominant seventh sounds tense and wants to move on: the third and the minor seventh form a tritone that pulls towards the tonic. It is also the basic chord of the blues and early rock'n'roll.

Notes of the A♭7 chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	A♭	root
3	C	major third (4 semitones)
5	E♭	perfect fifth (7 semitones) – often omitted on fretted instruments
7	G♭	minor seventh (10 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Basic shape, barre at fret 1

String 1 (E): fret 2, middle finger (G♭5)
String 2 (A): fret 3, ring finger (C5)
String 3 (D): fret 1, index finger (E♭4)
String 4 (G): fret 1, index finger (A♭3)

For the barre, lay your index finger flat across all the marked strings at fret 1; your other fingers press the higher frets.

Position 3

String 1 (E): fret 4, ring finger (A♭5)
String 2 (A): fret 3, index finger (C5)
String 3 (D): fret 4, middle finger (G♭4)
String 4 (G): fret 5, little finger (C4)

Position 10

String 1 (E): fret 11, little finger (E♭6)
String 2 (A): fret 11, ring finger (A♭5)
String 3 (D): fret 10, index finger (C5)
String 4 (G): fret 11, middle finger (G♭4)

Tuning: G D A E, like a violin; every note is a pair of strings that you fret together. In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Which keys is it in?

The A♭7 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

D♭ major: V7 (dominant)
B♭ minor: VII7

Similar chords and substitutes

If A♭7 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

D7 – tritone substitute: the same third and seventh, swapped – a jazz favourite
Cdim7 – diminished seventh on the third: a common stand-in for the dominant
A♭9 – a fuller dominant (with the ninth)
A♭7sus4 – suspended dominant, less tense
C♯ – where it resolves (V → I)

Simpler versions

A♭ – all 3 of its notes are in this chord

Richer versions

A♭9 – the same chord plus 1 colour note
A♭11 – the same chord plus 2 colour notes
A♭13 – the same chord plus 2 colour notes

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the A♭7 chord?

A♭, C, E♭, G♭. The root is A♭; the intervals of the other notes from the root: major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh.

What is the easiest way to play A♭7 on mandolin?

The easiest shape above is “Basic shape”, rated easy. We show 3 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck.

How do I read the chord diagram?

Strings run from the lowest (left) to the highest (right) – tick “Left-handed” to mirror it. Rows are frets; a number at the side shows the starting fret. Dots are fingers (1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little), a long bar is a barre, × means don't play that string and ○ means play it open.

Why is a note missing from some A♭7 shapes?

On a fretted instrument you can't always play every note of a 4-note chord. The fifth (E♭) may be dropped – the chord keeps its character without it.

How is the A♭7 chord written?

The chord symbol is A♭7 (also written Ab7), and its full name is A♭ dominant seventh.