Cm7♭5 chord on piano

The C half-diminished 7 chord (Cm7♭5) is C, E♭, G♭ and B♭. Here it is on the keyboard, with the fingers to use, every inversion and how it fits into keys.

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half-diminished seventh chord

C, E♭, G♭ and B♭

Cm7♭5 chord on a piano keyboard: C, E♭, G♭ and B♭, starting from middle C upwardCC5E♭G♭B♭
Root
C
Minor third
E♭
Diminished fifth
G♭
Minor seventh
B♭

Formula

1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7 (3, 6, 10 half steps above C)

Fingering in root position

Cm7♭5 root position: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesCE♭G♭B♭
Right hand1235
Left hand5321

Cm7♭5 inversions

Cm7♭5 has 3 inversions. Each one keeps the same notes and puts a different one at the bottom, so your hand can stay close to the chord before or after it.

Cm7♭5

Root position

Cm7♭5, root position, on the piano: C, E♭, G♭ and B♭ from the bottom upCC5E♭G♭B♭
Cm7♭5 root position: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesCE♭G♭B♭
Right hand1235
Left hand5321

Cm7♭5/E♭

First inversion

Cm7♭5, first inversion, on the piano: E♭, G♭, B♭ and C from the bottom upC4CE♭G♭B♭
Cm7♭5/E♭ first inversion: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesE♭G♭B♭C
Right hand1245
Left hand5321

Cm7♭5/G♭

Second inversion

Cm7♭5, second inversion, on the piano: G♭, B♭, C and E♭ from the bottom upC4CG♭B♭E♭
Cm7♭5/G♭ second inversion: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesG♭B♭CE♭
Right hand1235
Left hand5321

Cm7♭5/B♭

Third inversion

Cm7♭5, third inversion, on the piano: B♭, C, E♭ and G♭ from the bottom upC4CB♭E♭G♭
Cm7♭5/B♭ third inversion: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesB♭CE♭G♭
Right hand1235
Left hand5421

Keys with Cm7♭5

Roman numerals give a chord's place in a key: capitals for major chords, small letters for minor, ° for diminished. Cm7♭5 appears as:

  • viiø7 in D♭ major
  • iiø7 in B♭ minor

How Cm7♭5 is built

C is the root, E♭ the minor third, G♭ the diminished fifth and B♭ the minor seventh.

A half-diminished seventh, written m7♭5 or ø7, is a diminished chord plus the minor seventh, 10 half steps above the root. It is the chord on the seventh note of a major key and on the second note of a minor key.

Every chord takes every other letter of the alphabet, so the letters of Cm7♭5 are C, E, G, B. That is why it is spelled C, E♭, G♭ and B♭.

Find Cm7♭5 yourself

Without looking at the diagrams, find the chord on the keyboard, then each inversion. Saying the notes out loud as you tap them helps them stick.

Step 1 of 4

Tap the notes of Cm7♭5, in any octave and any order.

CDEFGABCDEFGAB

Practice Cm7♭5 in real music

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Questions

What notes are in the Cm7♭5 chord?

Cm7♭5 has four notes: C, E♭, G♭ and B♭. C is the root, E♭ the minor third, G♭ the diminished fifth and B♭ the minor seventh.

What fingers do you use for Cm7♭5 on piano?

In root position, play C, E♭, G♭ and B♭ with right hand fingers 1, 2, 3 and 5 (thumb, index finger, middle finger and little finger) and left hand fingers 5, 3, 2 and 1. The fingers change a little in each inversion; every inversion on this page shows its own.

What are the inversions of Cm7♭5?

Cm7♭5 has 3 inversions, one for each note other than the root at the bottom. First inversion (Cm7♭5/E♭): E♭, G♭, B♭ and C. Second inversion (Cm7♭5/G♭): G♭, B♭, C and E♭. Third inversion (Cm7♭5/B♭): B♭, C, E♭ and G♭.

What key is Cm7♭5 in?

Cm7♭5 appears as viiø7 in D♭ major and iiø7 in B♭ minor.

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