A♭7 8-string bass chord

How to play A♭7 on 8-string bass

The most common way, the first shape above: your middle finger on the E string at the 4th fret, your index finger on the A string at the 3rd fret, your ring finger on the D string at the 4th fret and your little finger on the G string at the 5th fret. Don’t play the F♯, B, C and F strings.

From the F♯ string x x 4 3 4 5 x x (x: not played, 0: open)

What notes are in A♭7?

A♭7, A♭ dominant seventh, is A♭, C, E♭ and G♭: the root (A♭), the major third (C), the perfect fifth (E♭) and the minor seventh (G♭). Its formula is 1 3 5 ♭7.

Are A♭7 and A♭maj7 the same?

No. Both add a seventh to A♭, but A♭7 adds the minor seventh, G♭, and A♭maj7 the major seventh, G. A♭7 sounds restless and wants to move on; A♭maj7 sounds settled and dreamy.

Can I play A♭ instead of A♭7?

Usually, yes: the song still works, with less pull. A♭7 is a dominant seventh, the V7 of D♭ major, and its C and G♭ lead straight into D♭.

Keys with A♭7

A♭7 is the V7 chord in D♭ major and the VII7 chord in B♭ minor, and the V7 of C♯ minor, the major fifth chord from its harmonic minor scale.