Ab-alt7 Half-Diminished

The Ab-alt7 chord is built from the notes Ab – Cb – Ebb – Gb – Bbb – Bbb.

Piano sound loads on first tap.

Chord tones, one by one

AbRoot

Root

The fundamental note the chord is built on — Ab.

CbThird

Minor third

Three semitones — makes the chord minor (darker, sadder).

EbbFifth

Diminished fifth (♭5)

Six semitones — a flat fifth. Creates instability, typical of m7♭5 and diminished chords.

GbSeventh

Minor seventh (♭7)

Ten semitones — the dominant/minor seventh. Adds bluesy tension (7, m7).

BbbExtension

Flat ninth (♭9)

A ♭9 — sharp, dissonant tension typical of altered dominant chords.

BbbExtension

Flat ninth (♭9)

A ♭9 — sharp, dissonant tension typical of altered dominant chords.

🎼 Related scales

🎹 Modal analysis

This chord implies the Locrian scale; its characteristic note is the unstable ♭5.

🎸 Genres

Modern jazz · Post-bop · Fusion

-alt7 in every key

More Ab chords

More Ab chords from Locrian