A♭7
Ab Dominant 7th — the engine of harmonic motion — the tritone between its third and seventh drives resolution down a fifth.
The keys
A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭
What's inside A♭7
| Note | Interval from root | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| A♭ | Root | 1 |
| C | Major 3rd | 3 |
| E♭ | Perfect 5th | 5 |
| G♭ | Minor 7th | b7 |
Inversions
| Position | Keys (low → high) |
|---|---|
| Root position | A♭4 – C5 – E♭5 – G♭5 |
| 1st inversion | C5 – E♭5 – G♭5 – A♭5 |
| 2nd inversion | E♭5 – G♭5 – A♭5 – C6 |
| 3rd inversion | G♭5 – A♭5 – C6 – E♭6 |
A working voicing
Split the chord between two hands the way working players do — a solid shell low down, the colour tones up top:
| Hand | Keys |
|---|---|
| Left (shell) | A♭2 – G♭3 |
| Right (colour) | C5 – E♭5 |
Where A♭7 lives
Resolving down a fifth
A♭7 → D♭
The defining dominant move: the tritone inside this chord releases onto the chord a fifth below.
In a ii–V–I
E♭m7 → A♭7 → D♭maj7
This chord as the V — the engine of the most-used cadence in music.
Put A♭7 under your fingers
Hear every voicing, see the keys light up, and drill it in the interactive Chord & Voicing Lab.
Open the Chord & Voicing Lab →