Map it slowly
Find A♭ on string 6 at fret 4. Play string 6, fret 4; string 6, fret 7; string 5, fret 6; string 4, fret 5; string 4, fret 6. Use a relaxed position and release pressure between repetitions. String 1 is high E.
Arpeggio · A♭m△7 · Guitar
A♭m△7 arpeggio on guitar
The A♭m△7 arpeggio is A♭ – C♭ – E♭ – G — chord tones 1 ♭3 5 7. A♭m△7 is a minor tonic with a raised seventh — the melodic-minor tonic; its sound is noir, cinematic. Below, every A♭, C♭, E♭, G on the fretboard is marked, with the root in gold. Press play to hear a one-octave arpeggio, or tap any note.
Visualizer
A♭m△7 on the fretboard.
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
RootChord toneBeing played
Tempo100 bpm
Show
Sound
Play loops the arpeggio up and down one octave (switch Loop off for a single pass) in the position starting at fret 4. Tap any marked note to hear it. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Your next 10 minutes
Make A♭ Minor-major 7th part of your playing
Make a short phrase
Play A♭ – C♭ – E♭ – G in quarter notes at 60 bpm. Repeat starting from C♭, wrapping back to A♭. Do not speed up until every attack is even.
Hear it in context
Alternate C♭ and G above a sustained A♭. These are degree ♭3 and 7. End a four-bar phrase on either one instead of always returning to the root.
Listen for this: A♭m△7 has the colour “noir, cinematic”. Name the degrees as you play, so you can recognize the sound in another key rather than remembering only a shape.
Understand the sound
A♭m△7: from a pattern to a musical choice
What gives A♭m△7 its identity?
The minor third and major seventh pull in different directions. Keep the seventh audible so the chord is not mistaken for an ordinary minor seventh.
Here the third is C♭, and degree 7 is G. Play A♭ in the bass and compare these voices individually before combining them.
Turn the arpeggio into a melody
Try C♭ – E♭ – G – A♭ as quarter notes, then repeat the first note and omit the last. The second phrase uses the same harmony with a different shape.
Sound the strings separately before playing them together. If a note is muted, adjust the finger angle instead of squeezing harder.
Your guitar checkpoint
Start with A♭ on string 6, fret 4. The next note C♭ is on string 6, fret 7. Name both notes aloud before playing, then find the same two pitches in another octave.
Before moving on, close the diagram and name the notes: A♭ · C♭ · E♭ · G. Then play a two-bar phrase from memory and leave two bars of silence.
On piano
A♭m△7 on the keyboard.
Reference
A♭m△7 — chord tones & intervals.
| Chord tone | Note | Interval from A♭ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A♭ | unison (0 semitones) |
| ♭3 | C♭ | minor 3rd (3 semitones) |
| 5 | E♭ | perfect 5th (7 semitones) |
| 7 | G | major 7th (11 semitones) |
Goes with: A♭ Melodic minor (A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F G). Voicings: A♭m△7 voicings on guitar.
Take it to the bandstand.Practice Radio streams endless changes to play the A♭m△7 arpeggio over through all twelve keys, with the chord and scale shown live — plus ear-training and call & response modes.
▶ Open Practice RadioCommon questions
A♭m△7 arpeggio FAQ.
What notes are in a A♭m△7 arpeggio?
A♭ – C♭ – E♭ – G. As chord tones: 1 ♭3 5 7. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
What is a A♭m△7 chord used for?
A♭m△7 is a minor tonic with a raised seventh — the melodic-minor tonic. Its character is noir, cinematic.
Which scale goes with A♭m△7?
A♭ Melodic minor (A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F G) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
How do I practise the A♭m△7 arpeggio on guitar?
Start on the root A♭ on the low E string at fret 4 and play E-string fret 4, E-string fret 7, A-string fret 6, D-string fret 5, D-string fret 6. Then play it descending, then in eighth notes with a metronome, then use it in a short phrase over a suitable chord.
Keep going
Minor-major 7th arpeggio in every other key.
Same arpeggio on piano · Minor-major 7th hub · chord-scale theory.
Other arpeggios from A♭