The D half diminished chord contains D, F, A♭ and C. Its symbols include Dm7♭5 and Dø7. Find the four notes, then compare root position with three inversions.
Build the D half diminished chord by adding C to the diminished triad D–F–A♭. Its formula is 1–♭3–♭5–♭7. Alternatively, lower A in Dm7 to A♭ while keeping D, F and C. The minor seventh C distinguishes this collection from a fully diminished 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.
Select D, F, A♭ and C in the practice keyboard. A natural produces Dm7 instead; B natural in place of C sounds the diminished seventh above D when spelled C♭. This exercise checks the four pitch classes, without prescribing their order or a hand shape.
Dm7♭5 uses 1–♭3–♭5–♭7: D–F–A♭–C.
a diminished triad plus a minor seventh
Compared with D 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 | Dm7♭5 | D4–F4–A♭4–C5 | D4 |
| First inversion | Dm7♭5/F | F4–A♭4–C5–D5 | F4 |
| Second inversion | Dm7♭5/A♭ | A♭4–C5–D5–F5 | A♭4 |
| Third inversion | Dm7♭5/C | C5–D5–F5–A♭5 | C5 |
The D half diminished chord diagrams show four written pitches and their order, without finger numbers. F, A♭ and C are the successive inversion bass notes. Keep the flat on A when reading each position; a different bass does not remove the diminished fifth.
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.
D, F, A♭ and C: root, minor third, diminished fifth and minor seventh. All four are needed for the complete collection shown here.
Both symbols name the D half diminished chord. The flat-five symbol explains the lowered fifth of Dm7; the slashed-circle symbol identifies half-diminished quality.
Dm7♭5 uses C, a minor seventh above D. Ddim7 uses C♭, a diminished seventh. On a piano C♭ sounds on a B key, but its spelling describes a seventh above D.
F starts the first inversion, A♭ the second and C the third. Root position starts on D. Select each option to compare the displayed bass, keyboard and sound.
Select the four pitch classes that make Dm7♭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: D–F–A♭–C · Formula: 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭7
Dots mark the notes to play. C4 is middle C. Numbers identify octaves, not fingers.