Chord & FretG#(b5) — major flat five
Also written Ab(b5) — the same chord, spelled the other way.
Notes in G#(b5): G# – B# – DFormula: 1 – 3 – b5In the formula, the numbers count steps of the major scale starting from the note that names the chord; "b" lowers a half step, "#" raises one — and a slash names the bass note.
It keeps the major third and lowers only the fifth by a semitone. It is the major triad seen through cracked glass: still recognisable, but something is out of true.
The same chord on all four instruments
Where to use it: A rare, modern colour; in practice it shows up far more with the seventh attached, as C7(b5), than on its own.
This is just one shape of G#(b5). In Chord & Fret, you check it note by note, playing any shape as an arpeggio; compare positions with their difficulty marked; and set a capo — the diagrams redraw above it. Start free. Unlock everything with Pro. Plays offline.
See the whole neck in Chord & Fret →Part of the Triads family.