How to Play F#m7b5 Chord on Guitar | F# Minor Seventh Flat five
If you were after F half-diminished instead, open the Fm7b5 chord page.
What is in F#m7b5, the F# half-diminished chord? The notes are F#, A, C and E.
Where a fully diminished seventh lowers the seventh twice, the half-diminished chord stops at a minor seventh, which is how it earns its name. It is the diatonic vii chord of G major, and the ii chord of E minor. A scale that covers every chord tone is the F# Locrian scale, which is where to start when you improvise.
See jazz chord progressions for the places where chords like this one tend to turn up. The only tritone in the chord lies between the root and the flat five.
F# minor 7th with flat 5th guitar chord is also written as F#m7b5, F#m7(b5), F#ø7 or F#min7b5. It is also known as the F# half-diminished chord.
F#m7b5 Chord Notes and Formula
Notes in the F# m7b5 chord:
Chord Formula:
Formula: 1 b3 b5 b7
Same chord, different name: F#m7b5 is also written as Gbm7b5 (Gb half-diminished).
F#m7b5 Chord Interactive Fretboard
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F#m7b5 Guitar Chord Diagrams
Position 1 Barre Movable
F# Half-Diminished Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the A string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 4 of the D string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 5 of the G, B and high E strings at the same time
Position 2 Movable
F# Half-Diminished Finger Positions
- Mute the A string
- Mute the high E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 1 of the B string
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 2 of the low E string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 2 of the D string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 2 of the G string
Position 3 Barre Movable
F# Half-Diminished Finger Positions
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 2 of the low E, D, G and high E strings at the same time
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 3 of the A string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 5 of the B string
Position 4 Barre Movable Slash Chord
F#/A Half-Diminished Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the A string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 7 of the D and B strings at the same time
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 8 of the high E string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 9 of the G string
The lowest note is A, not the root, so this voicing is the slash chord F#m7b5/A.
Position 5 Movable
F# Half-Diminished Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the high E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 9 of the A string
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 9 of the G string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 10 of the D string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 10 of the B string
Position 6 Movable Slash Chord
F#/E Half-Diminished Finger Positions
- Mute the low E string
- Mute the A string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 13 of the B string
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 14 of the D string
- Place your ring finger (3) on the fret 14 of the G string
- Place your pinky finger (4) on the fret 14 of the high E string
The lowest note is E, not the root, so this voicing is the slash chord F#m7b5/E.
Position 7 Barre Movable
F# Half-Diminished Finger Positions
- Mute the B string
- Mute the high E string
- Place your index finger (1) on the fret 14 of the low E, D and G strings at the same time
- Place your middle finger (2) on the fret 15 of the A string
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Chords That Go With F#m7b5
One key where F#m7b5 fits is G major, where it works as the vii chord. These are the main chords of that key, the ones you will often hear around it:
See every key in the guitar keys chart, or build a progression with these chords in the chord progression generator.
More F# Chords
Want to know how this chord is built? Read diminished and half-diminished chords, or browse all F# guitar chords.
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
FAQ
Which notes make up F#m7b5?
F#m7b5 contains F#, A, C and E. These are the root, minor third, flat fifth and minor seventh. The seventh, E, is ten semitones from F#.
What does the b5 in F#m7b5 mean?
The b5 says the fifth is lowered a semitone from the usual C# to C. Together with the minor third and minor seventh, this gives the chord its half-diminished sound.
Is F# half-diminished different from F# diminished seventh?
Yes, by one note. F#m7b5 ends on E, a minor seventh, while F#dim7 ends on Eb, a diminished seventh. Their first three notes, F#, A and C, are the same.
Which scale matches F#m7b5?
The F# Locrian scale, F#, G, A, B, C, D, E, holds all four chord tones. Use it as a pool of notes over the chord.
In which keys is F#m7b5 a diatonic chord?
F#m7b5 is the vii chord of G major and the ii chord of E minor. All its notes belong to both keys.
