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A-flat Half-Diminished 7th Chord
The A-flat Half-Diminished 7th Chord is A-flat, C-flat, E-double-flat, and G-flat. On the keyboard that's A-flat, B, D, and G-flat: black keys on the outside and white keys in the middle. The spelling takes some reading, but the shape is compact.
How to play the A-flat Half-Diminished 7th Chord on the piano
Let’s go through some charts that will familiarize you with the A-flat Half-Diminished 7th Chord and how to play it in the various forms you will encounter in pieces of music. First, we’ll look at the fundamental chord and its inversions; then, we’ll explore some more complex voicings.
The A-flat Half-Diminished 7th Chord in root position
In root position, the notes of the A♭ half-diminished 7th chord are stacked in thirds with A♭ on the bottom. The appearance on the staff is evenly spaced, as is the feeling of the space in between your fingers while playing.
| A-flat Half-Diminished 7th Chord in root position | |
|---|---|
| Note Order | A♭ C♭ E𝄫 G♭ |
| Left Hand Fingering | 5 3 2 1 |
| Right Hand Fingering | 1 2 3 5 |
| Chord Symbol | A♭m7♭5 or A♭ø7 |
The A-flat Half-Diminished 7th Chord in first inversion
In first inversion, the third of the chord (C♭) becomes the bottom note, and the root (A♭) jumps up to the top.
| A-flat Half-Diminished 7th Chord in 1st inversion | |
|---|---|
| Note Order | C♭ E𝄫 G♭ A♭ |
| Left Hand Fingering | 5 3 2 1 |
| Right Hand Fingering | 1 2 4 5 |
| Chord Symbol | A♭ø6/5 or A♭m7♭5/C♭ |
The A-flat Half-Diminished 7th Chord in second inversion
In second inversion, the fifth of the chord (E𝄫) is on the bottom, and the third of the chord (C♭) goes to the top.
| A-flat Half-Diminished 7th Chord in 2nd inversion | |
|---|---|
| Note Order | E𝄫 G♭ A♭ C♭ |
| Left Hand Fingering | 5 3 2 1 |
| Right Hand Fingering | 1 2 3 5 |
| Chord Symbol | A♭ø4/3 or A♭m7♭5/E𝄫 |
The A-flat Half-Diminished 7th Chord in third inversion
In third inversion, the seventh of the chord (G♭) is on the bottom, and the fifth of the chord (E𝄫) goes to the top.
| A-flat Half-Diminished 7th Chord in 3rd inversion | |
|---|---|
| Note Order | G♭ A♭ C♭ E𝄫 |
| Left Hand Fingering | 5 4 2 1 |
| Right Hand Fingering | 1 2 3 5 |
| Chord Symbol | A♭ø4/2 or A♭m7♭5/G♭ |
A-flat Half-Diminished 7th Chord theory and function
The half-diminished 7th is a diminished triad with a minor seventh, and it is a softer kind of tension than the fully diminished chord. It is the ii chord of minor keys and the vii chord of major keys, and it usually leads to a dominant.
The common keys that use this chord are sharp keys, so it is usually written as G♯ half-diminished 7th, and the spelling follows the key. The G♯ half-diminished 7th chord is the leading-tone chord (viiø7) in A major. In minor keys, it is the supertonic (iiø7) in F♯ minor.
The pattern to know is ii – V – i in a minor key. In F♯ minor that is G♯ø7 – C♯7 – F♯m. The notes are also a minor 6th chord in inversion: G♯ø7 contains the same four notes as Bm6, which is why theory books sometimes describe it as a minor triad with an added sixth. Try playing G♯ø7 and then G♯°7: the two chords differ by a single note, and it is worth hearing how much that one half step changes.
Other chords built on A-flat
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