Chords
Ab madd4
Ab · Cb · Db · Eb
Ab madd4 (Abmadd4) is a minor chord of 4 notes: Ab · Cb · Db · Eb.
Ab madd4
Ab · Cb · Db · Eb
Voicings on the piano
| Voicing | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Closed, root position | Ab3 · Cb3 · Db4 · Eb4 | |
| Open (drop 2) | Cb3 · Db3 · Ab3 · Eb4 |
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Anatomy
Ab madd4 (Abmadd4) contains the notes Ab · Cb · Db · Eb, each with a role measured as an interval from the root.
Read on: how triads are built
Inversions
An inversion of Ab madd4 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 madd4 belongs to.
In which keys
Ab madd4 is diatonic to 6 keys; the numeral is its degree and the label its harmonic function.
Scales that contain it
Ab madd4 fits inside these scales, each built on Ab.
- Ab Minor PentatonicAb · Cb · Db · Eb · Gb
- Ab MinorAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · Fb · Gb
- Ab Melodic MinorAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · F · G
- Ab Harmonic MinorAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · Fb · G
- Ab DorianAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · F · Gb
- Ab Vietnamese 1Ab · Cb · Db · Eb · Fb
- Ab Minor Sixth PentatonicAb · Cb · Db · Eb · F
- Ab Minor HexatonicAb · Bb · Cb · Db · Eb · G
Understanding the Ab madd4 chord
Names and symbols
Abmadd4 is the chord symbol for Ab madd4.
Ab madd4 and G# madd4 are the same sound spelled two ways; both have a page here, and each links to the other. G# madd4
Common questions
- What notes are in the Ab madd4 chord?
- The Ab madd4 chord contains the notes Ab · Cb · Db · Eb: the root Ab with the intervals 1P, 3m, 4P, 5P 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 madd4 chord?
- Measured from Ab, the Ab madd4 chord stacks the intervals 1P, 3m, 4P, 5P. 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 madd4 chord?
- On guitar the most common Ab madd4 shape is 441444, read from the lowest string to the highest; the instrument panel above shows several more with their fingerings. On piano play Ab3 · Cb3 · Db4 · Eb4 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.