A♭°7
Character: suspense
- A♭Rtriad
- C♭♭3triad
- E𝄫♭5triad
- G𝄫𝄫7add
9 ways to play A♭°7
Every voicing sits inside one of the five CAGED shapes, low to high on the neck, with its octave doublings in grey.
- Triad note
- Substitute
- Added
- Anchored root
- Bass
- Doubling
Frets x 8 9 7 9 xNotes G𝄫 C♭ E𝄫 A♭Intervals 𝄫7 ♭3 ♭5 1Base triadA♭ diminished, 1st inversion
The 𝄫7th gets a string of its own.
Frets 10 11 9 10 0 10Notes E𝄫 A♭ C♭ G𝄫Intervals ♭5 1 ♭3 𝄫7Base triadA♭ diminished, 2nd inversion
The 𝄫7th gets a string of its own.
Frets x x 0 1 0 1Notes E𝄫 A♭ C♭ G𝄫Intervals ♭5 1 ♭3 𝄫7Base triadA♭ diminished, 2nd inversion
The 𝄫7th gets a string of its own.
Frets x 2 0 1 0 1Notes C♭ E𝄫 A♭ G𝄫Intervals ♭3 ♭5 1 𝄫7Base triadA♭ diminished, 1st inversion
The 𝄫7th gets a string of its own.
Frets 1 2 0 1 x xNotes G𝄫 C♭ E𝄫 A♭Intervals 𝄫7 ♭3 ♭5 1Base triadA♭ diminished, 1st inversion
The 𝄫7th gets a string of its own.
Frets x x 3 4 3 4Notes G𝄫 C♭ E𝄫 A♭Intervals 𝄫7 ♭3 ♭5 1Base triadA♭ diminished, 1st inversion
The 𝄫7th gets a string of its own.
Frets 4 5 6 4 6 4Notes E𝄫 A♭ C♭ G𝄫Intervals ♭5 1 ♭3 𝄫7Base triadA♭ diminished, 2nd inversion
The 𝄫7th gets a string of its own.
Frets 4 5 3 4 0 4Notes A♭ E𝄫 G𝄫 C♭Intervals 1 ♭5 𝄫7 ♭3Base triadA♭ diminished, 2nd inversion
The root drops to the string below the triad. The 𝄫7th takes the root’s string.
Frets x x 6 7 6 7Notes A♭ E𝄫 G𝄫 C♭Intervals 1 ♭5 𝄫7 ♭3Base triadA♭ diminished, 2nd inversion
The root drops to the string below the triad. The 𝄫7th takes the root’s string.
The construction rules A♭°7 follows
Start from a triad
Root, 3rd and 5th, stacked in thirds. The 3rd makes it major or minor; the 5th makes it diminished or augmented when it moves.
A third on top makes a 7th chord
A major 7th over a major triad is maj7, a ♭7 is a dominant 7. Over minor you get m7 or m(maj7); over diminished, m7♭5 or the °7, whose 7th is lowered twice.
On guitar, something has to give
Each extension takes the string of a triad note that matters less, usually the 5th, or gets a string of its own. The root and 3rd stay: they say what the chord is.
The root can move down
When an extension needs the root’s string, the root can drop to the string below the triad: an anchored voicing keeps the bass and frees a string on top.
All the rules, with examples, in the guide to the chord library.
Diminished 7th in every key
More chords on A♭
A♭°7 chord questions
What notes are in A♭°7?
A♭°7 is spelled A♭ C♭ E𝄫 G𝄫: A♭ is the root, C♭ is the ♭3rd, E𝄫 is the ♭5th, G𝄫 is the 𝄫7th.
What is the formula of A♭°7?
1 ♭3 ♭5 𝄫7. It is a A♭ diminished triad with the 𝄫7th stacked on top.
How many ways can you play A♭°7 on guitar?
This page shows 9 voicings of A♭°7, filed under the five CAGED shapes and named by inversion, from the open position up to the 16th fret.