A♭maj7 chord on piano
A♭maj7 is A♭, C, E♭ and G. A♭ sits on the middle black key of the three. Hit Play and watch each key light as it sounds.
root position · A♭–C–E♭–G · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- A♭ · C · E♭ · G
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7
How to play A♭maj7 on piano
Count keys (black and white) from A♭: 4 half steps up to C, 3 half steps up to E♭ then 4 half steps up to G. Press the 4 keys together and that's A♭maj7.
- Right hand: 1 on A♭, 2 on C, 3 on E♭ and 5 on G.
- Left hand: 5 on A♭, 3 on C, 2 on E♭ and 1 on G.
- On the keyboard it's black, white, black and white keys, the same pattern as C♯maj7 and E♭maj7, so your hand shape carries over.
A♭maj7 inversions
- root position: A♭–C–E♭–G. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: C–E♭–G–A♭, C lowest. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: E♭–G–A♭–C (E♭ in the bass). Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: G–A♭–C–E♭, with G at the bottom. RH 1-2-3-5.
Inversions keep the same notes and change which one is lowest. Moving between chords, pick the inversion that keeps your hand closest to where it already is.
A♭maj7 chord changes
Songs rarely hold A♭maj7 for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.
- C♯maj7 (IV in A♭ major): A♭maj7 to C♯maj7: play C♯maj7 in 2nd inversion (G♯–B♯–C♯–E♯) and G♯ and B♯ stay under the same fingers, while E♭ moves down to C♯ and G down to E♯. C♯maj7 on piano
- E♭7 (V in A♭ major): A♭maj7 to E♭7: play E♭7 in 2nd inversion (B♭–D♭–E♭–G) and E♭ and G stay under the same fingers, while A♭ moves up to B♭ and C up to D♭. E♭7 on piano
- Fm7 (vi in A♭ major): A♭maj7 to Fm7: play Fm7 in 1st inversion (A♭–C–E♭–F) and A♭, C and E♭ stay under the same fingers, while G moves down to F. Fm7 on piano
A♭maj7 is a major seventh chord: a major triad with the note a half step below the octave added. A♭maj7 works as a relaxed home chord; swap it in for plain A♭ at the end of a phrase. Play it solid and then broken to hear the difference.
A short A♭maj7 drill
Roll the chord up and back down, A♭, C, E♭, G, E♭, C, A♭, before playing it as a block. Finish with the inversions in order: A♭–C–E♭–G; C–E♭–G–A♭; E♭–G–A♭–C; G–A♭–C–E♭.
The keys of A♭maj7
A♭maj7 is a major seventh chord, 1–3–5–7 from A♭. Root position, from the bottom: how A♭maj7 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| A♭ | black key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| C | white key | RH 2 · LH 3 | major third |
| E♭ | black key | RH 3 · LH 2 | perfect fifth |
| G | white key | RH 5 · LH 1 | major seventh |
You may also see it as G♯maj7; nothing changes on the piano.
Keys and progressions with A♭maj7
In A♭ major, ii–V–I on piano is B♭m7 (B♭–D♭–F–A♭), E♭7 (E♭–G–B♭–D♭) and A♭maj7 (A♭–C–E♭–G). About the jazz cadence.
A♭maj7 on guitar and ukulele
Switching instruments? Try A♭maj7 on ukulele or A♭maj7 on guitar, or compare them on the A♭maj7 chord page.
Close to A♭maj7
Other major seventh chords
A♭maj7 on piano: questions
What notes are in A♭maj7 on piano?
A♭, C, E♭ and G: A♭ (black key), C (white key), E♭ (black key) and G (white key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play A♭maj7 on piano?
Press A♭, C, E♭ and G together (2 black, 2 white). Right hand: 1 on A♭, 2 on C, 3 on E♭ and 5 on G.
What are the inversions of A♭maj7?
1st inversion (C–E♭–G–A♭), 2nd inversion (E♭–G–A♭–C) and 3rd inversion (G–A♭–C–E♭), after root position (A♭–C–E♭–G). Only the lowest note changes.
What does A♭maj7 look like on the keyboard?
black, white, black and white keys, the same pattern as C♯maj7 and E♭maj7, so one hand shape covers all of them.
Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside A♭maj7. Updated September 2026.