Dm7b5 Chord
Open Position · D-String RootThe open Dm7b5 — one finger. Lay the index flat across the G, B and high e strings at fret 1 for A♭, C and F, and let the open D ring for the root. Strum from the D string down. Compare it with an open Dm (x-x-0-2-3-1): every note except the root has moved, which is why this chord sounds so different from the minor chord it is named after.
Dm7b5 Chord
5th Fret · A-String RootThe standard jazz grip for a half-diminished chord, and the one to learn first. Index on the A string at fret 5 for D, ring on the D string at fret 6 for A♭, middle on the G string at fret 5 for C and pinky on the B string at fret 6 for F — four notes, one per string, no barre. It is the m7 grip on the A string with the 5th lowered a fret. Let the index tip touch the low E to mute it, and keep the high e out of the strum.
Dm7b5 Chord
10th Fret · E-String RootThe E-string partner to the A-string grip — the pair covers the whole neck between them. Middle finger on the low E at fret 10 for D, ring on the D string at fret 10 for C, pinky on the G string at fret 10 for F, and index on the B string one fret back at 9 for A♭. The underside of the middle finger mutes the A string and the fingers' pads keep the high e quiet. It is the classic comping shape for the ii chord of a minor ii–V–i.
Start from Dm7
Play Dm7 and lower the 5th by one fret, to A♭. Nothing else moves. That single half step is the whole difference, and it is why the chord is written m7♭5.
Half-diminished, not diminished
The bottom three notes — D, F, A♭ — are Ddim. Add the minor 7th, C, and you have Dm7b5. Add a 7th one fret lower instead and you have Ddim7, a different chord. Charts that say "dim" sometimes mean either, so check the notes.
Hear it in a minor ii–V–i
Play Dm7b5 – G7 – Cm. The half-diminished chord is the ii of C minor, and that three-chord move is the backbone of minor-key jazz standards and bossa nova. Its F is also the 7th of G7, which is why the two chords sit so naturally side by side.
Same notes as two other chords
Dm7b5 contains exactly the same four notes as Fm6 — the bass decides the name — and it is also the top four notes of B♭9, played without the root. Every shape on this page keeps D lowest, so let the root ring.
Slide the grip
The A-string, E-string and D-string shapes use no open strings once they leave the nut, so they slide. Move any one up a fret and you have D#m7b5; down a fret and you have C#m7b5.
About the Dm7b5 Chord on Guitar
The Dm7b5 chord — also written Dm7♭5, Dø7 or D half-diminished — is built from four notes: D (the root), F (the minor 3rd), A♭ (the diminished 5th) and C (the minor 7th). The formula is 1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭7: a Dm7 chord with the 5th lowered a half step. The bottom three notes form a diminished triad, which is where the name comes from — the triad is diminished but the 7th is not, so the chord is only half-diminished. That lowered 5th makes it restless rather than sad; the chord wants to move, and it almost always moves to a dominant 7th. Its home is the minor ii–V–i, Dm7b5 – G7 – Cm, the progression at the heart of minor-key jazz, bossa nova and a good deal of pop and neo-soul. It is also the vii chord of E♭ major. Two things it is not: Ddim7, which has a 7th one fret lower, and Dm7, which keeps the perfect 5th. And one thing it is, note for note: Fm6, the same four notes with a different bass. This page covers three voicings: the open D-string shape, the A-string root grip at fret 5, and the E-string root grip at fret 10. Every diagram is interactive and playable with acoustic guitar sound.
- 013 Dm7b5 chord shapes from beginner to intermediate
- 02Interactive diagrams — click Play to hear each chord
- 03Acoustic guitar sound via audio engine
- 04Built from 4 notes: D, F, A♭ and C (formula 1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭7)
- 05A-string root, E-string root, and D-string root voicings
- 06Difficulty rating on every shape
- 07Free — no sign-up or download needed
ANATOMY
Chord Tones
The 4 notes that form the D Minor 7th Flat 5 chord and their role in the major scale.
Every half-diminished (m7♭5) chord follows this same formula — root, minor third, diminished fifth, minor seventh. A diminished triad with a minor 7th on top, not the diminished 7th of a dim7 chord.
Frequently Asked Questions
Play x-x-0-1-1-1 — index flat across the G, B and high e strings at fret 1 (A♭, C and F), with the open D string as the root. Mute the low E and A.
D, F, A♭ and C — root, minor 3rd, diminished 5th and minor 7th.
Because only half of it is diminished. D–F–A♭ is a diminished triad, but the 7th, C, is a minor 7th. A fully diminished 7th chord, Ddim7, lowers that 7th one more fret.
As the ii chord in a minor key — Dm7b5 – G7 – Cm — or anywhere a minor 7th needs more pull toward the next chord. It almost always resolves to a dominant 7th a 4th above, here G7.