Voicings · G♭△7 · Guitar
G♭△7 is spelled G♭ – B♭ – D♭ – F (1 3 5 7) — the tonic Imaj7 of a major key, and any maj7 chord. 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 A-D-G-e, frets 4-4-3-1.
Drop the third-highest voice of the close voicing an octave: a wide, open sound. Strings A-D-B-e, frets 1-4-2-1.
Root, seventh and third only. The fifth is dropped — it adds nothing to the chord's identity — leaving a light, clear voicing. Strings E-D-G, frets 2-3-3.
Bill Evans-style left-hand voicing: the third on the bottom, the ninth on top, the bass player supplies the root. Strings E-A-B-e, frets 6-4-6-4 (position 2).
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-A-B-e, frets 13-11-11-9 (position 9).
Reference
| Chord tone | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | G♭ | unison |
| 3 | B♭ | major 3rd |
| 5 | D♭ | perfect 5th |
| 7 | F | major 7th |
Arpeggio: G♭△7 arpeggio on guitar. Scale: F♯ Major (Ionian).
Common questions
G♭, B♭, D♭, F — chord tones 1 3 5 7. Rootless voicings add the 9th, A♭, and leave the root to the bass.
The shell voicing (root, seventh, third) on strings E, D, G: three notes, one comfortable shape, and it still sounds unmistakably like G♭△7.
Start from the close voicing G♭ B♭ D♭ F and drop the second note from the top an octave: D♭ – G♭ – B♭ – F. It spreads the chord so it fits the hand — and on guitar it fits four adjacent strings.
G♭△7 is the tonic Imaj7 of a major key, and any maj7 chord. Its character is bright, settled, at rest.
Keep going
Same chord on piano · Major 7th hub.
Other chords from G♭