A♭ dominant 7 (A♭7) — A♭, C, E♭, G♭ — is A♭ major with a minor 7th. The chord is the V7 of D♭ major and the tritone substitute for D7 in jazz reharms. Coltrane's "Naima" uses A♭7 as a centrepiece chord; many jazz ballads modulate through D♭ major specifically to feature A♭7 → D♭maj7 cadences.
Intervals
The Ab dominant 7 chord stacks two thirds on the root. Each interval and its size in semitones:
- Ab→Cmajor 3rd4 semitones
- C→Ebminor 3rd3 semitones
- Eb→Gbminor 3rd3 semitones
On the keyboard
Each note of the Ab dominant 7 chord highlighted on a piano. Pitch class is what matters — any octave works.
On the guitar
One voicing of the Ab dominant 7 chord on a six-string guitar fretboard.
- 1Ab
- 3C
- 5Eb
- ♭7Gb
Common mistakes
A♭7 has G♭ as its 7th — a half-step lower than A♭maj7 (which has G natural). Reading G♭ as G natural produces A♭maj7 (a stable tonic chord). The chord is enharmonically equivalent to G♯7, but A♭7 is much more common in published jazz literature.
In context
A♭7 is the V7 of D♭ major (A♭7 → D♭maj7) and a famous tritone substitute for D7 in cadences to G major. In ii–V–I in D♭ major, the progression runs E♭m7 → A♭7 → D♭maj7. Coltrane's "Naima" and "Body and Soul" (in D♭) make A♭7 a centerpiece chord.
Drill it
The Ab dominant 7 chord is one of 48 in the Chord Trainer. Open the full trainer to practice it alongside related chords with timing and best-time tracking.
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Frequently asked
- What notes are in an A♭7 chord?
- A♭7 contains four notes: A♭ (root), C (major third), E♭ (perfect fifth), and G♭ (minor seventh).
- Is A♭7 the same as G♯7?
- Yes, enharmonically — same four pitches. A♭7 is the flat-side spelling (used in D♭-major contexts); G♯7 is the sharp-side spelling. A♭7 is universal in jazz.
- How is A♭7 different from A♭maj7?
- Only the seventh changes. A♭7 has G♭; A♭maj7 has G natural. A♭7 wants to resolve to D♭; A♭maj7 sits stably as a tonic.
- What jazz standards use A♭7?
- Coltrane's "Naima," "Body and Soul" (in D♭ major), "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life," and many other ballads in D♭. The cadence A♭7 → D♭maj7 is one of the most-played in advanced jazz harmony.