The A half diminished chord contains A, C, E♭ and G. It is also written Am7♭5 or Aø7. Locate E♭, the lowered fifth, then compare root position with three inversions.
The A half diminished chord combines the diminished triad A–C–E♭ with G, the minor seventh above A. Its formula is 1–♭3–♭5–♭7. Starting with Am7, lower E to E♭ and retain the other three notes. This changes the fifth without changing the seventh.
Preserve the written chord spelling shown here; keyboard equivalence does not rename the chord.
Choose a position to keep the four written notes, sounding keys, bass note, playback and print reference synchronized.
Choose A, C, E♭ and G in the exercise. E natural changes the collection to Am7. G♭ instead of G changes its seventh to a diminished seventh. The pitch-class check accepts any selection order and does not identify an inversion from the order of clicks.
Am7♭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 | Am7♭5 | A3–C4–E♭4–G4 | A3 |
| First inversion | Am7♭5/C | C4–E♭4–G4–A4 | C4 |
| Second inversion | Am7♭5/E♭ | E♭4–G4–A4–C5 | E♭4 |
| Third inversion | Am7♭5/G | G4–A4–C5–E♭5 | G4 |
Read the A half diminished chord from its written pitches and octave labels. The bass moves through A, C, E♭ and G across the four positions. These examples show note placement without assigning fingers or requiring all four notes in one hand.
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 E♭ and minor seventh G are both part of this four-note collection.
No. Both name the A half diminished chord. Am7♭5 describes a minor seventh chord with a lowered fifth; Aø7 uses the half-diminished symbol.
Am7♭5 uses G, while Adim7 uses G♭. Both contain A, C and E♭, so checking the seventh is essential when reading the symbols.
Three: C, E♭ and G can each be the lowest note. Root position has A lowest. Each displayed position retains the same four chord tones while changing their order.
Select the four pitch classes that make Am7♭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.