B7♭5
Character: edgy
- BRtriad
- D♯3triad
- F♭5triad
- A♭7add
9 ways to play B7♭5
Every voicing sits inside one of the five CAGED shapes, low to high on the neck, with its octave doublings in grey.
- Triad note
- Substitute
- Added
- Anchored root
- Bass
- Doubling
Frets 1 2 1 2 0 1Notes F B D♯ AIntervals ♭5 1 3 ♭7
The ♭7th gets a string of its own.
Frets x x 3 4 4 5Notes F B D♯ AIntervals ♭5 1 3 ♭7
The ♭7th gets a string of its own.
Frets x 0 3 4 4 xNotes A F B D♯Intervals ♭7 ♭5 1 3
The ♭7th gets a string of its own.
Frets x 2 3 2 4 xNotes B F A D♯Intervals 1 ♭5 ♭7 3
The root drops to the string below the triad. The ♭7th takes the root’s string.
Frets 5 6 3 4 x xNotes A D♯ F BIntervals ♭7 3 ♭5 1
The ♭7th gets a string of its own.
Frets x x 7 8 6 7Notes A D♯ F BIntervals ♭7 3 ♭5 1
The ♭7th gets a string of its own.
Frets 7 8 9 8 10 xNotes F B D♯ AIntervals ♭5 1 3 ♭7
The ♭7th gets a string of its own.
Frets 7 8 7 8 0 xNotes B F A D♯Intervals 1 ♭5 ♭7 3
The root drops to the string below the triad. The ♭7th takes the root’s string.
Frets x x 9 10 10 11Notes B F A D♯Intervals 1 ♭5 ♭7 3
The root drops to the string below the triad. The ♭7th takes the root’s string.
The construction rules B7♭5 follows
Start from a triad
Root, 3rd and 5th, stacked in thirds. The 3rd makes it major or minor; the 5th makes it diminished or augmented when it moves.
A third on top makes a 7th chord
A major 7th over a major triad is maj7, a ♭7 is a dominant 7. Over minor you get m7 or m(maj7); over diminished, m7♭5 or the °7, whose 7th is lowered twice.
On guitar, something has to give
Each extension takes the string of a triad note that matters less, usually the 5th, or gets a string of its own. The root and 3rd stay: they say what the chord is.
The root can move down
When an extension needs the root’s string, the root can drop to the string below the triad: an anchored voicing keeps the bass and frees a string on top.
Alter a dominant for tension
Raise or lower the 5th or the 9th, or add a ♯11 or ♭13, and a dominant 7th pulls harder towards the next chord: G7♯9, G7♭9, G7♭13.
All the rules, with examples, in the guide to the chord library.
Dominant 7th ♭5 in every key
More chords on B
B7♭5 chord questions
What notes are in B7♭5?
B7♭5 is spelled B D♯ F A: B is the root, D♯ is the 3rd, F is the ♭5th, A is the ♭7th.
What is the formula of B7♭5?
1 3 ♭5 ♭7. It is a B triad triad with the ♭7th stacked on top.
How many ways can you play B7♭5 on guitar?
This page shows 9 voicings of B7♭5, filed under the five CAGED shapes and named by inversion, from the open position up to the 16th fret.