Scale degrees · A♭ major

The ♭7 of A♭ is G♭

The ♭7 (flat seven, written b7) of A♭ (A flat, Ab) is G♭ (G flat): a minor seventh above the root.

A♭ — the root, 1G♭ — the ♭7

How to find it

Count letters first, the root included: A, B, C, D, E, F, G. A 7th lands on G.

Then the sound: a minor seventh is 10 semitones above A♭, and the G that is 10 semitones up is G♭.

That is why it is G♭ and not F♯: F♯ is the same key on the piano, but from A♭ it would be a 6th, not a 7th.

Where you meet it

The ♭7 is the 7th of the dominant chord and of the minor seventh chord, and the note that turns the major scale into Mixolydian.

In A♭7:

A♭ · C · E♭ · G♭

The ♭7 in every key

KeyThe ♭7
CB♭
GF
DC
AG
ED
BA
F♯E
D♭C♭
A♭G♭
E♭D♭
B♭A♭
FE♭

Every degree of A♭

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