Abalt

Abalt is Ab, C, E, Gb and A, a altered dominant. The shape this page opens on is written 43x534, lowest string first.

There are 7 common shapes for Abalt on the guitar, and 23 derived voicings in 3 families.

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 43x534, xx6534, 4565x4, xx6798, x-11-10-x-9-10, x-11-10-13-13-10, x-11-12-13-13-x.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. Abalt has 4342xx, xx6575, x-11-10-11-10-x, 4x455x, x-11-x-11-13-12.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Abalt has xx2212, xx4555, x7757x, xx7978, x-9-10-9-10-x, x-x-10-11-10-12, x-x-14-14-13-14, x3425x.

Open string. An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful. Abalt has 070575, 006575, 00057x, x00570, 0045xx.

Tensions. A shell of Abalt, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the #11 (D).

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.