Fm7b5 Chord
1st Fret · E-String RootThe E-string grip, sitting on the nut so the ♭5 comes free from the open B string. Index on the low E at fret 1 for F, middle on the D string at fret 1 for E♭, ring on the G string at fret 1 for A♭, and let the open B ring for C♭ — written C♭ because it is the flattened 5th of F, though it is the same pitch as B. The underside of the index mutes the A string; keep the high e out of the strum.
Fm7b5 Chord
3rd Fret · D-String RootFour strings, rooted on the D string — the voicing for when the bass player has the low end. Index on the D string at fret 3 for F, then middle, ring and pinky side by side on the G, B and high e strings at fret 4 for C♭, E♭ and A♭. It is the open Dm7b5 shape moved up the neck, with the index standing in for the nut. Mute the low E and A.
Fm7b5 Chord
8th 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 8 for F, ring on the D string at fret 9 for C♭, middle on the G string at fret 8 for E♭ and pinky on the B string at fret 9 for A♭ — 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.
Start from Fm7
Play Fm7 and lower the 5th by one fret, to C♭. 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 — F, A♭, C♭ — are Fdim. Add the minor 7th, E♭, and you have Fm7b5. Add a 7th one fret lower instead and you have Fdim7, a different chord. Charts that say "dim" sometimes mean either, so check the notes.
Hear it in a minor ii–V–i
Play Fm7b5 – B♭7 – E♭m. The half-diminished chord is the ii of E♭ minor, and that three-chord move is the backbone of minor-key jazz standards and bossa nova. Its A♭ is also the 7th of B♭7, which is why the two chords sit so naturally side by side.
Same notes as two other chords
Fm7b5 contains exactly the same four notes as A♭m6 — the bass decides the name — and it is also the top four notes of D♭9, played without the root. Every shape on this page keeps F 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 F#m7b5; down a fret and you have Em7b5.
About the Fm7b5 Chord on Guitar
The Fm7b5 chord — also written Fm7♭5, Fø7 or F half-diminished — is built from four notes: F (the root), A♭ (the minor 3rd), C♭ (the diminished 5th) and E♭ (the minor 7th) (C♭ is the same pitch as B; it is written C♭ because it is the flattened 5th of F). The formula is 1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭7: a Fm7 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, Fm7b5 – B♭7 – E♭m, 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 G♭ major. Two things it is not: Fdim7, which has a 7th one fret lower, and Fm7, which keeps the perfect 5th. And one thing it is, note for note: A♭m6, the same four notes with a different bass. This page covers three voicings: the E-string root grip at fret 1, a four-string form rooted on the D string at fret 3, and the A-string root grip at fret 8. Every diagram is interactive and playable with acoustic guitar sound.
- 013 Fm7b5 chord shapes at intermediate level
- 02Interactive diagrams — click Play to hear each chord
- 03Acoustic guitar sound via audio engine
- 04Built from 4 notes: F, A♭, C♭ and E♭ (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 F 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 1-x-1-1-0-x — index on the low E at fret 1 for the root, middle on the D string at fret 1 (E♭, the ♭7), ring on the G string at fret 1 (A♭, the ♭3), and let the open B string ring (C♭, the ♭5 — it sounds as B). Mute the A and high e strings.
F, A♭, C♭ and E♭ — root, minor 3rd, diminished 5th and minor 7th. (C♭ is the same pitch as B; it is written C♭ because it is the flattened 5th of F)
Because only half of it is diminished. F–A♭–C♭ is a diminished triad, but the 7th, E♭, is a minor 7th. A fully diminished 7th chord, Fdim7, lowers that 7th one more fret.
As the ii chord in a minor key — Fm7b5 – B♭7 – E♭m — or anywhere a minor 7th needs more pull toward the next chord. It almost always resolves to a dominant 7th a 4th above, here B♭7.