The Fm7b5 chord contains F, A♭, C♭ and E♭. Also written Fm7♭5 or Fø7, it is F half-diminished seventh. C♭ sounds on B while retaining the written fifth above F.
Build the Fm7b5 chord by lowering C in F minor seventh to C♭. Keep F, A♭ and E♭. Its formula is 1–♭3–♭5–♭7: a diminished triad plus a minor seventh. The B key supplies the sounding pitch of C♭, without changing its interval spelling.
This spelling includes C♭. 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 Fm7b5 chord with F, A♭, the B pitch class for C♭, and E♭. C natural restores Fm7. The exercise compares all four pitch classes without treating click order as an inversion or measuring a live performance.
Fm7♭5 uses 1–♭3–♭5–♭7: F–A♭–C♭–E♭.
a diminished triad plus a minor seventh
Compared with F 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 | Fm7♭5 | F4–A♭4–C♭5–E♭5 | F4 |
| First inversion | Fm7♭5/A♭ | A♭4–C♭5–E♭5–F5 | A♭4 |
| Second inversion | Fm7♭5/C♭ | C♭5–E♭5–F5–A♭5 | C♭5 |
| Third inversion | Fm7♭5/E♭ | E♭5–F5–A♭5–C♭6 | E♭5 |
The Fm7b5 chord diagrams preserve C♭ while marking the B key. A♭, C♭ and E♭ begin its three inversions. Read the octave labels and bass before comparing positions; the reference shows pitches without assigned fingers or a required hand shape.
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.
F, A♭, C♭ and E♭: root, minor third, diminished fifth and minor seventh. The fifth is C♭ rather than C natural.
A fifth above F needs the letter C. Lowering the perfect fifth C by a semitone gives C♭, which sounds on B on the piano.
The Fm7b5 chord uses E♭, a minor seventh. Fdim7 uses E𝄫, a diminished seventh, sounding on D. Both share F, A♭ and C♭.
Both symbols identify the Fm7b5 chord. Root position and all three inversions retain these four chord members while changing which one is lowest.
Select the four pitch classes that make Fm7♭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: F–A♭–C♭–E♭ · Formula: 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭7
Dots mark the notes to play. C4 is middle C. Numbers identify octaves, not fingers.