A♭ minor seventh (A♭m7) chord on mandolin

Minor seventh chord (a minor triad plus a minor seventh) on A♭: the notes of the A♭m7 chord are A♭ – C♭ – E♭ – G♭. The same chord with a different spelling: G♯ minor seventh (G♯m7).

Dots show:

Basic shapeeasy

Position 4medium

Position 9medium

Position 6medium

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

Chord finder Transposer Tuner

What the A♭m7 chord sounds like

A minor seventh chord is softer than a plain minor chord – the minor seventh fills out the sound. In jazz it is the ii of the ii–V–I, in pop and soul a common colour chord.

Notes of the A♭m7 chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	A♭	root
3	C♭	minor third (3 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, ring finger (G♭5)
String 2 (A): fret 2, middle finger (C♭5)
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 4

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

Position 9

String 1 (E): fret 11, little finger (E♭6)
String 2 (A): fret 11, little finger (A♭5)
String 3 (D): fret 9, index finger (C♭5)
String 4 (G): fret 11, ring 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♭m7 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

E♭ minor: iv7 (subdominant)
G♭ major: ii7

Similar chords and substitutes

If A♭m7 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

Bmaj7 – relative major seventh: three shared notes
C♯7 – in a ii–V, this is the dominant that follows

Same notes

B6 – the same notes with a different root

Simpler versions

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

Richer versions

A♭m9 – the same chord plus 1 colour note

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the A♭m7 chord?

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

What is the easiest way to play A♭m7 on mandolin?

The easiest shape above is “Basic shape”, rated easy. We show 4 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♭m7 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♭m7 chord written?

The chord symbol is A♭m7 (also written Abm7), and its full name is A♭ minor seventh.