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A♭ Minor 7th Guitar Chord (A♭m7)

A♭ minor 7th is a four-note chord built from A♭ (the root), C♭ (the minor third), E♭ (the perfect fifth), and G♭ (the minor seventh). It is the mellow cousin of plain A♭ minor: the added ♭7 takes the sting out of the minor third and leaves a warm, jazzy haze. Below are 4 ways to play it in standard tuning, easiest shape first.

A♭m7 chord shapes — standard tuning

open string × muted / not played 1–4 suggested finger 3fr shape starts at fret 3 R · 3 · 5 · ♭7 chord tone each string sounds
A♭m7 guitar chord diagram, 1fr, frets 4-2-4-1-x-x3R2♭34♭71R××
1fr
4-2-4-1-x-x
A♭m7 guitar chord diagram, Barre · 4fr, frets 4-6-4-4-4-44fr1R25♭7♭35R
Barre · 4fr
4-6-4-4-4-4
A♭m7 guitar chord diagram, 6fr, frets x-x-6-8-7-76fr××1R452♭73♭3
6fr
x-x-6-8-7-7
A♭m7 guitar chord diagram, Barre · 9fr, frets x-11-9-11-9-119fr×2R1♭33♭7R45
Barre · 9fr
x-11-9-11-9-11

How to play it

Place your index finger on the G (3rd) string at fret 1, your middle finger on the A (5th) string at fret 2, your ring finger on the low E (6th) string at fret 4, and your pinky finger on the D (4th) string at fret 4. Keep the B (2nd) and high E (1st) strings out of the strum — start your downstroke from the low E (6th) string.

Once that shape is comfortable, try the other 3 voicings above — same notes, different neck positions and textures.

Notes in this chord

SymbolIntervalNote
RrootA♭
♭3minor thirdC♭ (same pitch as B)
5perfect fifthE♭
♭7minor seventhG♭

A♭m7 FAQ

What notes are in A♭m7?
A♭m7 contains A♭, C♭, E♭, and G♭ — the root (A♭), the minor third, the perfect fifth, and the minor seventh.

Is A♭m7 a barre chord?
Not necessarily. The easiest A♭m7 shape (4-2-4-1-x-x) needs no barre — it uses 4 fingers. Barre versions exist too, starting at fret 4, and are handy when you want to move the same grip to other keys.

What is the easiest way to play A♭m7 on guitar?
Start with the 1fr shape 4-2-4-1-x-x. Place your index finger on the G (3rd) string at fret 1, your middle finger on the A (5th) string at fret 2, your ring finger on the low E (6th) string at fret 4, and your pinky finger on the D (4th) string at fret 4. Keep the B (2nd) and high E (1st) strings out of the strum — start your downstroke from the low E (6th) string.