Chords
Ab 7#5#9
Ab · C · E · Gb · B
Ab 7#5#9 (Ab7#5#9) is a augmented chord of 5 notes: Ab · C · E · Gb · B.
Also written Ab7#9#5 · Ab7alt
Ab 7#5#9
Ab · C · E · Gb · B
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Ab3 · C4 · E4 · Gb4 · B4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | Gb3 · Ab3 · C4 · E4 · B4 | |
| Shell | Ab3 · C4 · Gb4 | |
| Rootless | C3 · Gb3 · B3 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Ab 7#5#9 (Ab7#5#9) contains the notes Ab · C · E · Gb · B, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built · seventh chords · extensions
Inversions
An inversion of Ab 7#5#9 puts a chord tone other than Ab in the bass; the name after the slash is that bass note.
Where it lives
The keys and the scales Ab 7#5#9 belongs to.
In which keys
Ab 7#5#9 is not diatonic to any major or minor key: at least one of its notes lies outside every one of them.
Scales that contain it
Ab 7#5#9 fits inside these scales, each built on Ab.
- Ab Messiaen's Mode #3Ab · Bb · Cb · C · D · Eb · Fb · Gb · G
Understanding the Ab 7#5#9 chord
Names and symbols
Ab7#5#9 is the chord symbol for Ab 7#5#9; it is also written Ab7#9#5, Ab7alt.
7♯5, +7 and aug7 usually all mean this chord: a dominant seventh on an augmented triad. Some books use aug7 for the major seventh on the augmented triad instead, so check which seventh a chart intends.
Common questions
- What notes are in the Ab 7#5#9 chord?
- The Ab 7#5#9 chord contains the notes Ab · C · E · Gb · B: the root Ab with the intervals 1P, 3M, 5A, 7m, 9A stacked above it. Play them together for the chord or one after another for an arpeggio. The lowest note is normally Ab, but any chord tone can take the bass in an inversion.
- What intervals make up the Ab 7#5#9 chord?
- Measured from Ab, the Ab 7#5#9 chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3M, 5A, 7m, 9A. The quality of the third and of the seventh, if there is one, is what gives the chord its character; the rest of the notes colour it. Every interval in the formula links to its own page, with its sound.
- How do I play the Ab 7#5#9 chord?
- On guitar the most common Ab 7#5#9 shape is 434100, read from the lowest string to the highest; the instrument panel above shows several more with their fingerings. On piano play Ab3 · C4 · E4 · Gb4 · B4 with the right hand, or move the root down into the left hand and keep the rest above it. Every shape on this page plays when you press it.