A♭7, the A♭ dominant 7 guitar chord
A♭7 is the E7 grip up at the 4th fret, so the chart starts there instead of at the nut. This is the kindest of the three to press, because the strings give most the further you get from the nut, though the frets are narrower and crowded fingertips start brushing their neighbors. A♭7 keeps company with the flat chords, pulling toward D♭ in soul and gospel. As with F7 and F♯7, the D string is fretted by the barre alone and carries the note that makes this a seventh. Listen for it.
How to play it
- Index finger flattened across the low E string (6th), D string (4th), B string (2nd) and high E string (1st), 4th fret.
- Middle finger on the G string (3rd), 5th fret.
- Ring finger on the A string (5th), 6th fret.
Changes to practice
Holding A♭7 still is the easy part. Songs need you to arrive at it in rhythm, so in Strumhold you practice A♭7 as changes, alongside the rest of the Barre 7ths set: