A♭maj7 8-string bass chord

How to play A♭maj7 on 8-string bass

The most common way, the first shape above: your index finger on the E string at the 4th fret, your little finger on the A string at the 6th fret, your middle finger on the D string at the 5th fret and your ring 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 6 5 5 x x (x: not played, 0: open)

What notes are in A♭maj7?

A♭maj7, A♭ major seventh, is A♭, C, E♭ and G: the root (A♭), the major third (C), the perfect fifth (E♭) and the major seventh (G). Its formula is 1 3 5 7.

Are A♭maj7 and A♭7 the same?

No. A♭maj7 has the major seventh, G, a half step below the root; A♭7 has the minor seventh, G♭. A♭maj7 sounds calm and open, the sound of jazz ballads and bossa nova; A♭7 sounds like it has somewhere to go.

Can I play A♭ instead of A♭maj7?

Yes. A♭maj7 is A♭ with G added, so A♭ does the same job with a plainer sound.

Keys with A♭maj7

A♭maj7 is the IVmaj7 chord in E♭ major, the Imaj7 chord in A♭ major, the VImaj7 chord in C minor and the IIImaj7 chord in F minor.