A# Minor Seventh Flat five Guitar Chord Fingering

A# m7b5 guitar chord shapes

Spelled A#, C#, E and G#, A#m7b5 is the A# half-diminished chord, with the root, minor third, flat five and minor seventh above its root. A#m7b5 is the vii chord in B major, and the same pitches serve as the ii chord in Ab minor, where the chord is spelled Bbm7b5.

It sounds identical to Bbm7b5, the same pitches written with the other spelling. Compared with a minor seventh chord only the fifth changes: it is lowered by a semitone. A scale that covers every chord tone is the A# Locrian scale, which is where to start when you improvise.

In a major key it lands on the seventh degree, where it is sometimes called the leading-tone seventh chord.

A# minor 7th with flat 5th guitar chord is also written as A#m7b5, A#m7(b5), A#ø7 or A#min7b5. It is also known as the A# half-diminished chord.

Notes of the A# m7b5 chord:

A# C# E G#

Tones of the Minor Seventh Flat five chord:

1
b2
2
b3
3
4
b5
5
#5
6
b7
7

Play This Chord With Other Roots

C m7b5 | D m7b5 | E m7b5 | F m7b5 | G m7b5 | A m7b5 | B m7b5 | C#m7b5 | D#m7b5 | F#m7b5 | G#m7b5 | A#m7b5 | Abm7b5 | Bbm7b5 | Dbm7b5 | Ebm7b5 | Gbm7b5

Giancarlo Facoetti, founder of FaChords Guitar

Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher

FAQ

What notes are in the A#m7b5 chord?

A#m7b5 contains A#, C#, E and G#. Those are the root, minor third, flat fifth and minor seventh. The stack is two minor thirds followed by a major third.

Is A#m7b5 the same chord as Bbm7b5?

Yes. A#m7b5 and Bbm7b5 name the same pitches, so they sound identical. A#m7b5 is the sharp spelling and Bbm7b5 the flat one, and the key you read in usually decides which appears.

What makes A# half-diminished different from A# minor seventh?

Only the fifth changes. A# minor seventh has E#, while the half-diminished chord lowers it to E, a flat fifth. The minor third and minor seventh stay the same.

Which scale fits A# half-diminished?

The A# Locrian scale: A#, B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#. It holds all four chord tones, so it is a dependable set of notes for melody lines over the chord.

In which keys does A#m7b5 appear as a diatonic chord?

A#m7b5 is the vii chord of B major. The same pitches also form the ii chord of Ab minor, where the chord is spelled Bbm7b5.