A♭ major seventh, sharp eleven

A♭maj7(♯11)

Also written G♯maj7(♯11) · A♭Δ7(♯11) · A♭ Lydian · Abmaj7#11

NotesA♭ · C · E♭ · G · D
Formula1 · 3 · 5 · 7 · ♯11
C3G7D♯11A♭1E♭5
All its notes, from the root

Lydian: the ♯11 (D) replaces the 4th, which would clash with the 3rd. It is the IV chord of E♭ major, and a tonic when a major 7th needs more light.

How pianists voice A♭maj7(♯11)

Nobody plays a jazz chord in root position. These are the shapes that actually get played — the same ones Cadenza shows when you play the chord.

Shell Left hand

C3G7A♭1

1 · 3 · 7 — root, 3rd and 7th: the three notes that say what the chord is. Left hand, low; everything else is colour.

Rootless A From the 3rd

C3G7E♭5B♭9

3 · 5 · 7 · 9 — no root: the bass player has it. The left-hand voicing of modern jazz piano. Without A♭ underneath, the same keys read as Cm7 — the bass turns them into A♭maj7(♯11).

Rootless B From the 7th

G7C3B♭9E♭5

7 · 9 · 3 · 5 — the other half of the pair. A and B alternate through a ii–V–I so the hand barely moves.

Drop 2 Two hands

C3G7E♭5A♭1

5 · 1 · 3 · 7 — close position with the second voice from the top dropped an octave: wider, warmer, the standard for chord melody.

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