Ab7 Ukulele Chord

Ab7 is the A flat dominant seventh chord. It has four notes: A flat, C, E flat and G flat. The standard shape uses all four fingers inside the first three frets: index on the g string, middle on the E string, ring and pinky on the C and A strings.

1324A♭E♭G♭C

Four fingers in the first three frets: index on the g string at 1, middle on the E string at 2, ring on the C string at 3, pinky on the A string at 3.

How to play Ab7 on ukulele, step by step

  1. Index finger: 1st fret, G string
  2. Middle finger: 2nd fret, E string
  3. Ring finger: 3rd fret, C string
  4. Pinky finger: 3rd fret, A string
  5. Strum all four strings.

Ab7 is the Ab shape with one finger moved: hold Ab (1343) and drop the E string finger from the 4th fret to the 2nd. The doubled root falls to G flat, the seventh, and the chord starts leaning toward D flat.

More ways to play Ab7

There are 3 common Ab7 shapes: the standard one at the top of the page, plus these further up the neck. You only ever need one. Tap any card to hear it.

Frets 4 to 6
Ab7 ukulele chord diagram, frets 4 to 6, played 5646

More open sounding than the low shape, with the third on top. The grip matches the mid neck Bb7 shape two frets lower.

Barre at fret 8
Ab7 ukulele chord diagram, barre at fret 8, played 8889

Bright and even, two working fingers instead of four. The easiest Ab7 to keep clean once barres hold.

If it sounds wrong

Four fingers will not fit
The frets near the nut are widest, but four tips still crowd. Set ring and pinky at the 3rd fret first, then place middle and index into the space that is left.
The g string buzzes
The index has the lightest note and the most neighbours. Tip behind the 1st fret, pressing straight down rather than dragging sideways.
One note is missing
Usually the E string, hidden under the middle finger's neighbours. Pick the strings one at a time and fix the finger whose note does not speak.

What makes it an Ab7

A♭ · C · E♭ · G♭ 1 3 5 ♭7

Ab7 is a dominant seventh: an A flat major triad (A flat, C, E flat) plus a minor seventh, G flat. It is the V7 of D flat, the chord that pulls a song in that key home.

A flat is a piano and horn key, so a ukulele player usually meets Ab7 inside jazz, soul and gospel arrangements rather than campfire songbooks. It also sits one fret below A7 for any line that walks sevenths down the neck.

Ab7 vs Ab

Hold Ab and move one finger: the E string drops from the 4th fret to the 2nd. That is the entire difference on paper, a doubled A flat becoming G flat, and the entire difference in sound, rest becoming motion.

Both shapes ask for four careful fingers, so neither is a beginner favourite. If the song lets you, the barre version at the 8th fret below trades finger count for one clean barre.

Ab7 chord questions

Is Ab7 the same as G#7?

Yes, the same chord spelled two ways. A flat matches the flat keys this chord appears in, so it is the spelling used here.

Is Ab7 hard to play?

It is one of the busier shapes: four fingers inside three frets. The barre voicing at the 8th fret uses fewer fingers if the position suits the song.

What does Ab7 resolve to?

Db. Ab7 is the V7 chord of D flat major and D flat minor.

What is the difference between Ab7 and Ab?

One finger. Ab frets the E string at the 4th fret; Ab7 drops it to the 2nd, turning the doubled root into G flat, the seventh.

Where is Ab7 used?

In songs in Db, in jazz and gospel progressions built for piano and horns, and one fret below A7 in chromatic seventh runs.

Chords to learn next

Other Ab chords