Voicings · A♭6 · Guitar
A♭6 is spelled A♭ – C – E♭ – F (1 3 5 6) — a tonic alternative to maj7, especially on the last chord of a tune. Here are 5 ways to voice it on guitar: drop 2, drop 3, shell, rootless a, rootless b. Every diagram is playable — press play to hear the chord, or “roll it” to hear the voices one by one, low to high.
The voicings
Take the close voicing and drop its second-highest voice an octave. The most-used four-note voicing on guitar and in piano left hands. Strings D-G-B, frets 1-1-1.
Drop the third-highest voice of the close voicing an octave: a wide, open sound. Strings A-G-B, frets 3-1-4.
Root, seventh and third only. The fifth is dropped — it adds nothing to the chord's identity — leaving a light, clear voicing. Strings G-B, frets 1-1.
Bill Evans-style left-hand voicing: the third on the bottom, the ninth on top, the bass player supplies the root. Strings A-D-G, frets 3-1-3.
The companion rootless voicing with the seventh on the bottom. Alternate A and B so the top voice moves by step through a ii–V–I. Strings E-G-B, frets 6-5-4 (position 2).
Reference
| Chord tone | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A♭ | unison |
| 3 | C | major 3rd |
| 5 | E♭ | perfect 5th |
| 6 | F | major 6th |
Arpeggio: A♭6 arpeggio on guitar. Scale: A♭ Major (Ionian).
Common questions
A♭, C, E♭, F — chord tones 1 3 5 6. Rootless voicings add the 9th, B♭, and leave the root to the bass.
The shell voicing (root, seventh, third) on strings G, B: three notes, one comfortable shape, and it still sounds unmistakably like A♭6.
Start from the close voicing A♭ C E♭ F and drop the second note from the top an octave: E♭ – A♭ – C. It spreads the chord so it fits the hand — and on guitar it fits four adjacent strings.
A♭6 is a tonic alternative to maj7, especially on the last chord of a tune. Its character is open, classic, swing-era.
Keep going
Same chord on piano · Major 6th hub.
Other chords from A♭