Seventh Chords

Let’s look at how to play an A flat 7 chord on the piano. We’ll also learn the pattern for building any other seventh chord.

What Are Seventh Chords?

Seventh chords are major chords with an added note. The added note is the seventh note of the matching major scale, lowered 1/2 step.

Major chords are built using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale (learn how to build a major scale here). To convert a major chord into a seventh chord, we’ll add the seventh note of the matching major scale, lowered 1/2 step.

Chord Types Printable

Learn to play 17 types of piano chords using 12 different root notes with this 35-page PDF! Chords are sorted both by their root note and type.

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How to Play an A Flat 7 Chord

To play an A flat 7 chord, we’ll start by playing an A flat major chord. We can build an A flat major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the A flat major scale: A♭ – C – E♭

Then we’ll find the seventh note of the A flat major scale, G, and lower it 1/2 step to G♭.

So to play an A flat 7 chord, we’ll play:

A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭

We can use this pattern to build any other seventh chord! First we’ll play a major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale. Then we’ll find the seventh note of the matching major scale and lower it 1/2 step before adding it to the chord.

Chord Fingering

When playing this chord with the right hand, we can use fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5. When playing this chord with the left hand, we can use fingers 5 – 3 – 2 – 1 (thumbs are 1’s).

Other Seventh Chords

Since there are different types of seventh chords, it can be helpful to compare their differences:

Seventh chords are major chords with an added note. The added note is the seventh note of the matching major scale, lowered 1/2 step.

So an A flat 7 chord is: A♭ – C – E♭ – G♭

Minor seventh chords are minor chords with an added note. The added note is the seventh note of the matching major scale, lowered 1/2 step.

So an A flat minor 7 chord is: A♭ – C♭ – E♭ – G♭

Major seventh chords are major chords with an added note. The added note is the seventh note of the matching major scale.

So an A flat major 7 chord is: A♭ – C – E♭ – G

Other Chord Types

Some of the other chord types you can learn are:

Major
Minor
Augmented
Diminished
Second
Minor Second
Suspended
Fifth
Sixth
Minor Sixth
Minor Seventh
Major Seventh
Ninth
Minor Ninth
Major Ninth

Conclusion

Now you know how to play an A flat 7 chord on the piano, and you can use this pattern to build any other seventh chord!

Using chords at the piano is a wonderful way to enjoy music!