The F sharp half diminished chord contains F♯, A, C and E. Written F♯m7♭5 or F♯ø7, it combines a diminished triad with a minor seventh. Compare root position and three inversions.
Build the F sharp half diminished chord by lowering C♯ in F♯ minor seventh to C natural. Keep F♯, A and E. The formula is 1–♭3–♭5–♭7: the lowered fifth is six semitones above F♯ and the minor seventh ten.
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 F♯, A, C and E in the exercise. C♯ instead of C restores F♯m7. This checks four pitch classes in any click order, without interpreting that order as an inversion or assessing live playing.
F♯m7♭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 | F♯m7♭5 | F♯3–A3–C4–E4 | F♯3 |
| First inversion | F♯m7♭5/A | A3–C4–E4–F♯4 | A3 |
| Second inversion | F♯m7♭5/C | C4–E4–F♯4–A4 | C4 |
| Third inversion | F♯m7♭5/E | E4–F♯4–A4–C5 | E4 |
Read the F sharp half diminished chord with only F sharpened; A, C and E remain natural. The diagrams show written pitches and octaves without assigning fingers. A begins the first inversion, C the second and E the third; none is 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 accidental on F does not apply to the other three notes.
Both identify this same four-note collection. The slashed circle means half-diminished; m7♭5 describes a minor seventh chord whose fifth is lowered.
This reference uses E, a minor seventh. F♯dim7 uses E♭, a diminished seventh. The root, minor third and diminished fifth remain F♯, A and C.
Three inversions plus root position. Changing the lowest note to A, C or E retains all four chord tones while changing their order and bass label.
Select the four pitch classes that make F♯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: F♯–A–C–E · Formula: 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭7
Dots mark the notes to play. C4 is middle C. Numbers identify octaves, not fingers.