G# Dominant 7th
4th FretE-shape barre chord at fret 4. Barre all six strings at fret 4 with the index; ring on A fret 6, middle on G fret 5. The standard G#7 voicing with the root on the low E string.
G# Dominant 7th
11th FretA-shape barre chord rooted on G# at the 11th fret. Barre fret 11 with the index; ring on D fret 13, pinky on B fret 13. Mute the low E. A fully moveable dominant 7th voicing.
G# Dominant 7th
2nd PositionDrop 2 voicing on the top four strings — root (G#) on D fret 6, 3rd (C) on G fret 5, 5th (D#) on B fret 4, ♭7th (F#) on high e fret 2. A compact jazz comping shape near the nut.
G# Dominant 7th
8th PositionCompact shell voicing on the inner four strings — 3rd (C) on D fret 10, ♭7th (F#) on G fret 11, root (G#) on B fret 9, 3rd (C) on high e fret 8. No barre — captures the tritone tension of G#7 cleanly.
G# Dominant 7th
6th FretD7-shape moveable voicing — the open D7 chord slid up six frets. D string fret 6 (root), G fret 8 (5th), B fret 7 (♭7th), high e fret 8 (3rd). No barre required.
Tips for Playing the G#7 Chord
G#7 and A♭7 are the same chord
G#7 and A♭7 are enharmonic equivalents — identical chord shapes with two names. A♭7 is far more common in written music. When you see A♭7 in a jazz chart, use the same E-shape barre at fret 4.
Anchor on the E-shape barre
The E-shape barre at fret 4 is the go-to G#7 voicing. Once you can hold the full barre, add ring finger (A string) and middle finger (G string) for the full dominant 7th sound.
G#7 resolves to C#
The G#7 → C# progression is one of the strongest V→I resolutions on guitar. Practise moving from the E-shape barre at fret 4 to a C# chord to hear the tritone resolution.
Move the barre shapes
The E-shape barre at fret 4 and the A-shape barre at fret 11 are fully moveable dominant 7th shapes — slide them to any fret to play any dominant 7th chord in the cycle.
A♭7 in jazz and R&B
A♭7 → D♭maj7 is a cornerstone V→I resolution in jazz, R&B, and soul. The E-shape barre at fret 4 resolving to D♭maj7 (A-shape barre at fret 4) is a smooth, compact voice-leading move.
Shell voicing for speed
The x-x-10-11-9-8 shell voicing is compact and clean for fast jazz comping. The ascending finger pattern (index on e, middle on B, ring on D, pinky on G) transposes easily across the neck.
About the G#7 Chord on Guitar
The G#7 chord is built from four notes: G# (the root), C (the major 3rd), D# (the perfect 5th), and F# (the minor 7th). It is the G# major triad with an added flat 7th, creating the characteristic tritone tension between C and F# that defines dominant 7th chords. Because no standard open-string G#7 voicing exists in standard tuning, every shape requires all fretted notes — but the E-shape barre at fret 4 provides the most accessible full voicing. G#7 is enharmonically identical to A♭7, the far more common spelling in jazz, R&B, and classical music. A♭7 resolves naturally to D♭ major (C# major), and appears constantly in jazz standards and soul progressions. This page covers five voicings, from the E-shape barre at fret 4 to a compact Drop 2 near the nut and a shell voicing at the 8th position. Every diagram is interactive and playable with real acoustic guitar sound.
- 015 G#7 or A♭7 chord shapes from intermediate to advanced
- 02Interactive diagrams — click Play to hear each chord
- 03Real acoustic guitar sound via audio engine
- 04E-shape barre, A-shape barre, Drop 2, shell voicing, and D7-shape moveable form
- 05Difficulty rating on every shape
- 06Free — no sign-up or download needed
ANATOMY
Chord Tones
The 4 notes that form the G# or A♭ Dominant 7th chord and their role in the major scale.
Every dominant 7th chord follows this same formula — root, major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh.