As the ii in a minor ii-V-iE♭ minor
The minor cadence. Fm7♭5 leads into the dominant, and the seventh is what makes it a ii rather than a diminished triad.
Fm7♭5 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The Fm7♭5 chord is a half-diminished chord built on the root note F. Its notes are F, A♭, C♭ and E♭.
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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
- F · A♭ · C♭ · E♭
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 6 · 10
- Note
- F
- Quality
- Half-Diminished (m7♭5)
- Symbol
- Fm7♭5
Fm7♭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 Fm7♭5 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on F, index finger on A♭, middle finger on C♭ and little finger on E♭. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard A♭ and E♭ are black keys and F and C♭ are white. C♭ is the key you'd normally call B. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- F1
- A♭♭3
- C♭♭5
- E♭♭7
Fm7♭5 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, Fm7♭5 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 1: 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 2 and 1.
F · A♭ · C♭ · E♭
Play Fm7♭5 on the online piano
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Fm7♭5 chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | F | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | A♭(Ab) | |
| ♭5 | Diminished fifth | 6 | C♭(Cb) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | E♭(Eb) |
How to use the Fm7♭5 chord
The Fm7♭5 chord is built from a root, a minor third, a diminished fifth and a minor seventh. Start at the root F and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: F, A♭, C♭ and E♭. 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 Fm7♭5 is the viiø7 in G♭ major; in minor keys it's the iiø7 in E♭ minor.
How Fm7♭5 differs from similar chords
Fm7♭5 differs from Fm7 by one lowered note, the fifth, and from F°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 Fm7♭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 chordG♭ major
- viiø7Fm7♭5
- Imaj7G♭maj7
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 Fm7♭5 chord?
- The Fm7♭5 chord contains F, A♭, C♭ and E♭ (F, Ab, Cb and Eb in plain text).
- Is the Fm7♭5 chord major or minor?
- Fm7♭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 Fm7♭5 chord in?
- In major keys Fm7♭5 is the viiø7 in G♭ major; in minor keys it's the iiø7 in E♭ minor.
- How do you play Fm7♭5 on piano?
- Place your fingers on F, A♭, C♭ and E♭ 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 A♭ and E♭ are black keys and F and C♭ are white. C♭ is the key you'd normally call B.
- How do you play Fm7♭5 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 1: 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 2 and 1.
- What chords work well with Fm7♭5?
- Fm7♭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.