Chord · 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7
Half-diminished chord
A half-diminished chord stacks two minor thirds, then a major third. In C it is C, E♭, G♭ and B♭. Written Cm7♭5 or Cø7.
- Formula
- 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7
- Half steps from root
- 0 · 3 · 6 · 10
- Notes
- 4
How it sounds
Dark and unsettled: a diminished triad with a ♭7 on top. It is the ii chord in a minor key, so it opens the minor ii–V–i.
What’s inside
- ♭3: minor third above the root
- ♭5: tritone above the root
- ♭7: minor seventh above the root
On the guitar
Bm7♭5 · x2323x
Low E string to high E. An × means don’t play that string, an o means play it open.
Half-diminished chords in every key
| Chord | Notes | Hear it |
|---|---|---|
| Cm7♭5 | C · E♭ · G♭ · B♭ | |
| C♯m7♭5 | C♯ · E · G · B | |
| Dm7♭5 | D · F · A♭ · C | |
| D♯m7♭5 | D♯ · F♯ · A · C♯ | |
| Em7♭5 | E · G · B♭ · D | |
| Fm7♭5 | F · A♭ · C♭ · E♭ | |
| F♯m7♭5 | F♯ · A · C · E | |
| Gm7♭5 | G · B♭ · D♭ · F | |
| G♯m7♭5 | G♯ · B · D · F♯ | |
| Am7♭5 | A · C · E♭ · G | |
| A♯m7♭5 | A♯ · C♯ · E · G♯ | |
| Bm7♭5 | B · D · F · A |
This chord is one of the answers in the game’s “Which seventh?” round.