The B half diminished chord contains B, D, F and A. Written Bm7♭5 or Bø7, it combines a diminished triad with a minor seventh. Locate its four white keys, then compare root position and three inversions.
Build the B half diminished chord with degrees 1–♭3–♭5–♭7. B–D–F is the diminished triad and A supplies the minor seventh. The flattened fifth is F natural, six semitones above B; do not use F♯.
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.
Select B, D, F and A in the exercise. F♯ gives the perfect fifth of Bm7, while A♭ is the diminished seventh used by Bdim7. This exercise checks the exact four pitch classes, not live piano performance.
Bm7♭5 uses 1–♭3–♭5–♭7: B–D–F–A.
a diminished triad plus a minor seventh
Compared with B 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 | Bm7♭5 | B3–D4–F4–A4 | B3 |
| First inversion | Bm7♭5/D | D4–F4–A4–B4 | D4 |
| Second inversion | Bm7♭5/F | F4–A4–B4–D5 | F4 |
| Third inversion | Bm7♭5/A | A4–B4–D5–F5 | A4 |
The B half diminished chord diagrams show keys and written note order, without prescribing fingers. Read the bass and octave labels in each inversion. B, D, F and A remain present even when B is no longer the lowest note.
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.
B, D, F and A: root, minor third, diminished fifth and minor seventh. The compact symbols Bm7♭5 and Bø7 identify this four-note collection.
No. The B half diminished chord uses A natural. Bdim7 uses A♭, a diminished seventh above B. Both contain the diminished triad B–D–F.
Bm7 contains F♯ as its perfect fifth. Lower that note to F natural while preserving B, D and A to obtain the half-diminished seventh shown here.
D starts the first inversion, F the second and A the third. Root position starts on B. All four notes remain in each displayed option; the bass changes their order.
Select the four pitch classes that make Bm7♭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: B–D–F–A · Formula: 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭7
Dots mark the notes to play. C4 is middle C. Numbers identify octaves, not fingers.