The Abm7b5 chord contains A♭, C♭, E𝄫 and G♭. Written A♭m7♭5 or A♭ø7, it is a half-diminished seventh chord. C♭ sounds on B and E𝄫 sounds on D on the piano.
Build the Abm7b5 chord by lowering the fifth of A♭m7 from E♭ to E𝄫. Keep A♭, C♭ and G♭. Its formula is 1–♭3–♭5–♭7: a diminished triad plus a minor seventh. E double flat preserves the letter needed for the fifth above A♭.
This spelling includes C♭, E𝄫. Preserve the theoretical written spelling even when an enharmonic name shares the same piano key.
Choose a position to keep the four written notes, sounding keys, bass note, playback and print reference synchronized.
Build the Abm7b5 chord with A♭, the B pitch class for C♭, D for E𝄫, and G♭. E♭ would leave the fifth perfect and produce A♭m7. The check compares all four pitch classes without assigning an inversion from click order.
A♭m7♭5 uses 1–♭3–♭5–♭7: A♭–C♭–E𝄫–G♭.
a diminished triad plus a minor seventh
Compared with A♭ diminished, add the minor seventh above the root.
A seventh chord has four chord tones and therefore four positions: root position plus three inversions. The slash symbol identifies the written bass note.
| Position | Symbol | Notes, low to high | Bass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position, current selection | A♭m7♭5 | A♭3–C♭4–E𝄫4–G♭4 | A♭3 |
| First inversion | A♭m7♭5/C♭ | C♭4–E𝄫4–G♭4–A♭4 | C♭4 |
| Second inversion | A♭m7♭5/E𝄫 | E𝄫4–G♭4–A♭4–C♭5 | E𝄫4 |
| Third inversion | A♭m7♭5/G♭ | G♭4–A♭4–C♭5–E𝄫5 | G♭4 |
The Abm7b5 chord diagrams retain written C♭ and E𝄫 while marking their sounding B and D keys. They identify pitches and registers without finger numbers. C♭, E𝄫 and G♭ are the inversion bass notes; read their octave labels before comparing the positions.
Use the written notes, keyboard positions and playback without treating the diagram as a required hand shape.
Read left- and right-hand finger numbersOpen Music Theory
Supports: Half-Diminished Seventh chord construction, written spelling and inversion principles
Scope: Supports theory and spelling only; keyboard layouts are PianoGrid examples, and no fingering is assigned.
A♭, C♭, E𝄫 and G♭. The diminished fifth is E𝄫, and the minor seventh is G♭.
E♭ is a perfect fifth above A♭. Lowering it by a semitone gives E𝄫, the diminished fifth. E𝄫 sounds on a D key; the notation keeps the fifth relationship visible.
Both symbols identify the Abm7b5 chord. The letter b in the plain-text symbol means flat; the slashed circle is the half-diminished symbol.
No. A♭m7♭5 uses G♭, a minor seventh. A♭dim7 uses G𝄫, a diminished seventh. Their root, minor third and diminished fifth agree, but their sevenths differ.
Select the four pitch classes that make A♭m7♭5, then check your answer.
This one-octave exercise checks the exact four-note pitch-class set. Order and inversion do not affect the result; missing and extra notes are reported, while fingering and live performance are not assessed.
One octave, C through B. Select a key again to remove it.
Chord tones: A♭–C♭–E𝄫–G♭ · Formula: 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭7
Dots mark the notes to play. C4 is middle C. Numbers identify octaves, not fingers.