Cm7♭5 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes

The Cm7♭5 chord is a half-diminished chord built on the root note C. Its notes are C, E♭, G♭ and B♭.

Half-diminished chords (m7♭5) sit between a diminished triad and a minor seventh. They're the signature ii chord in minor keys and show up constantly in jazz standards and moody ballads.

Guitar shapes Piano fingering

Root

Quality

Cm7♭5 on piano

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Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.

To play Cm7♭5 on piano, place your right-hand thumb on C, then index, middle and little finger on E♭, G♭ and B♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.

Cm7♭5 on guitar

View:

Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.

On guitar, Cm7♭5 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre shape: keep the index finger flat across the fretboard and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Strum only the strings marked as active in the diagram.

Play the chord

Cm7♭5

C · E♭ · G♭ · B♭

Cm7♭5 chord notes

Formula: 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7Notes: C · E♭ · G♭ · B♭

Degree	Interval	Semitones	Note
1	Root	0	C
♭3	Minor third	3	E♭(Eb)
♭5	Tritone	6	G♭(Gb)
♭7	Minor seventh	10	B♭(Bb)

How to use the Cm7♭5 chord

The Cm7♭5 chord is built from a root, a minor third, a diminished fifth and a minor seventh. Start at the root C and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: C, E♭, G♭ and B♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.

Half-diminished chords are most common in jazz standards. They frequently act as the iiø of a minor ii-V-i, leading into the dominant that resolves to a minor tonic.

Common progressions

The Cm7♭5 chord works beautifully in these progressions. Click a chord name to jump to its page.

Leading-tone resolution

vii° → I

B♯°C♯

Minor ii-V-i

ii° → V → i

D𝄫°G𝄫7 C𝄫m

Chromatic passing chord

I → vii° → vi

C♯B♯°A♯m

Once Cm7♭5 feels comfortable, the chords below open up new progressions. Each one shares notes, keys or a harmonic function with it, which is what makes it the natural place to go next.

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Cm7♭5 chord?

The Cm7♭5 chord contains C, E♭, G♭ and B♭ (C, Eb, Gb and Bb in plain text).

Is the Cm7♭5 chord major or minor?

Cm7♭5 is a half-diminished chord. Half-diminished chords (m7♭5) sit between a diminished triad and a minor seventh. They're the signature ii chord in minor keys and show up constantly in jazz standards and moody ballads.

How do you play Cm7♭5 on piano?

Place your fingers on C, E♭, G♭ and B♭ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right.

How do you play Cm7♭5 on guitar?

Cm7♭5 is typically played with the fingering shown in the diagram above. If one of the chord tones lines up with an open string, an open position is worth trying too.

What chords work well with Cm7♭5?

Cm7♭5 pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.

Keep exploring

Deepen your understanding of the Cm7♭5 chord with our other music theory tools.

Browse all chords Explore scales Explore progressions Chord Transposer Chord Finder Chords in Key Try the Piano Open Circle of Fifths