Ab 7alt (Ab7alt)
Also written as G# 7alt (G# and Ab are the same key).
Notes in Ab 7alt
Inversions
Same notes as Ab 7alt, with a different chord tone as the lowest note. Useful for smoother movement between chords instead of jumping around the keyboard.
Root position
G# in the bass
1st inversion
B# in the bass (Ab7alt/B#)
2nd inversion
F# in the bass (Ab7alt/F#)
3rd inversion
A in the bass (Ab7alt/A)
4th inversion
B in the bass (Ab7alt/B)
5th inversion
E in the bass (Ab7alt/E)
Open voicings
A close-position chord like Ab 7alt can sound cluttered in the middle of the keyboard. Jazz players open it up by dropping one note down an octave, spreading the same notes wider without changing the chord.
Drop 2
G# on the bottom
Drop 3
G# on the bottom
Press G#, B#, F#, A, B and E together on the keyboard and you're playing Ab 7alt.
Short for altered dominant. It bundles the most common alterations, flat nine, sharp nine and flat thirteen, into one tense dominant with no natural fifth. Jazz soloists treat it as the sound of the altered scale, built to resolve as strongly as possible.