As the ii in a minor ii-V-iD minor
The minor cadence. Em7♭5 leads into the dominant, and the seventh is what makes it a ii rather than a diminished triad.
Em7♭5 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The Em7♭5 chord is a half-diminished chord built on the root note E. Its notes are E, G, B♭ and D.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
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.
- Notes
- E · G · B♭ · D
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 6 · 10
- Note
- E
- Quality
- Half-Diminished (m7♭5)
- Symbol
- Em7♭5
Em7♭5 on piano
4 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play Em7♭5 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on E, index finger on G, middle finger on B♭ and little finger on D. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard B♭ is a black key and E, G and D are white. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- E1
- G♭3
- B♭♭5
- D♭7
Em7♭5 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, Em7♭5 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 7: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play strings 6 and 1.
E · G · B♭ · D
Try Em7♭5 on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
Em7♭5 chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | E | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | G | |
| ♭5 | Diminished fifth | 6 | B♭(Bb) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | D |
How to use the Em7♭5 chord
The Em7♭5 chord is built from a root, a minor third, a diminished fifth and a minor seventh. Start at the root E and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: E, G, B♭ and D. 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.
In major keys Em7♭5 is the viiø7 in F major; in minor keys it's the iiø7 in D minor.
How Em7♭5 differs from similar chords
Em7♭5 differs from Em7 by one lowered note, the fifth, and from E°7 by one raised note, the seventh. That in-between position is where the name half-diminished comes from. In a minor key it is the ii chord, so it almost always leads to a dominant seventh.
Where Em7♭5 is used
A half-diminished seventh has one main use: it is the ii of a minor key, leading into the dominant. A major key builds the same chord on its seventh degree.
As the leading-tone chordF major
- viiø7Em7♭5
- Imaj7Fmaj7
The chord a major key builds on its seventh degree, resolving up a semitone onto the tonic.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the Em7♭5 chord?
- The Em7♭5 chord contains E, G, B♭ and D (E, G, Bb and D in plain text).
- Is the Em7♭5 chord major or minor?
- Em7♭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.
- What key is the Em7♭5 chord in?
- In major keys Em7♭5 is the viiø7 in F major; in minor keys it's the iiø7 in D minor.
- How do you play Em7♭5 on piano?
- Place your fingers on E, G, B♭ and D and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard B♭ is a black key and E, G and D are white.
- How do you play Em7♭5 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 7: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Don't play strings 6 and 1.
- What chords work well with Em7♭5?
- Em7♭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.