Em7♭5 chord on piano

The E half-diminished 7 chord (Em7♭5) is E, G, B♭ and D. 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

E, G, B♭ and D

Em7♭5 chord on a piano keyboard: E, G, B♭ and D, starting from middle C upwardC4EGC5DB♭
Root
E
Minor third
G
Diminished fifth
B♭
Minor seventh
D

Formula

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

Fingering in root position

Em7♭5 root position: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesEGB♭D
Right hand1235
Left hand5321

Em7♭5 inversions

Em7♭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.

Em7♭5

Root position

Em7♭5, root position, on the piano: E, G, B♭ and D from the bottom upC4EGC5DB♭
Em7♭5 root position: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesEGB♭D
Right hand1235
Left hand5321

Em7♭5/G

First inversion

Em7♭5, first inversion, on the piano: G, B♭, D and E from the bottom upC4GC5DEB♭
Em7♭5/G first inversion: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesGB♭DE
Right hand1245
Left hand5321

Em7♭5/B♭

Second inversion

Em7♭5, second inversion, on the piano: B♭, D, E and G from the bottom upC4C5DEGB♭
Em7♭5/B♭ second inversion: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesB♭DEG
Right hand1235
Left hand5321

Em7♭5/D

Third inversion

Em7♭5, third inversion, on the piano: D, E, G and B♭ from the bottom upC4DEGC5B♭
Em7♭5/D third inversion: notes from the bottom up and fingering
NotesDEGB♭
Right hand1235
Left hand5421

Keys with Em7♭5

Roman numerals give a chord's place in a key: capitals for major chords, small letters for minor, ° for diminished. Em7♭5 appears as:

  • viiø7 in F major
  • iiø7 in D minor

How Em7♭5 is built

E is the root, G the minor third, B♭ the diminished fifth and D 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 Em7♭5 are E, G, B, D. That is why it is spelled E, G, B♭ and D.

Find Em7♭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 Em7♭5, in any octave and any order.

CDEFGABCDEFGAB

Practice Em7♭5 in real music

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Questions

What notes are in the Em7♭5 chord?

Em7♭5 has four notes: E, G, B♭ and D. E is the root, G the minor third, B♭ the diminished fifth and D the minor seventh.

What fingers do you use for Em7♭5 on piano?

In root position, play E, G, B♭ and D 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 Em7♭5?

Em7♭5 has 3 inversions, one for each note other than the root at the bottom. First inversion (Em7♭5/G): G, B♭, D and E. Second inversion (Em7♭5/B♭): B♭, D, E and G. Third inversion (Em7♭5/D): D, E, G and B♭.

What key is Em7♭5 in?

Em7♭5 appears as viiø7 in F major and iiø7 in D minor.

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