D♭m7♭5
Character: wistful
- D♭Rtriad
- F♭♭3triad
- A𝄫♭5triad
- C♭♭7add
9 ways to play D♭m7♭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 x 2 2 0 2 xNotes C♭ F♭ A𝄫 D♭Intervals ♭7 ♭3 ♭5 1Base triadD♭ diminished, 1st inversion
The ♭7th gets a string of its own.
Frets x 4 2 0 0 0Notes D♭ F♭ A𝄫 C♭Intervals 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7Base triadD♭ diminished, root position
The ♭7th gets a string of its own.
Frets 3 4 2 4 2 0Notes A𝄫 D♭ F♭ C♭Intervals ♭5 1 ♭3 ♭7Base triadD♭ diminished, 2nd inversion
The ♭7th gets a string of its own.
Frets x x 5 6 5 7Notes A𝄫 D♭ F♭ C♭Intervals ♭5 1 ♭3 ♭7Base triadD♭ diminished, 2nd inversion
The ♭7th gets a string of its own.
Frets x 4 5 4 5 0Notes D♭ A𝄫 C♭ F♭Intervals 1 ♭5 ♭7 ♭3Base triadD♭ diminished, 2nd inversion
The root drops to the string below the triad. The ♭7th takes the root’s string.
Frets 7 7 5 6 x xNotes C♭ F♭ A𝄫 D♭Intervals ♭7 ♭3 ♭5 1Base triadD♭ diminished, 1st inversion
The ♭7th gets a string of its own.
Frets x x 9 9 8 9Notes C♭ F♭ A𝄫 D♭Intervals ♭7 ♭3 ♭5 1Base triadD♭ diminished, 1st inversion
The ♭7th gets a string of its own.
Frets 9 10 11 9 12 0Notes A𝄫 D♭ F♭ C♭Intervals ♭5 1 ♭3 ♭7Base triadD♭ diminished, 2nd inversion
The ♭7th gets a string of its own.
Frets 9 10 9 9 x xNotes D♭ A𝄫 C♭ F♭Intervals 1 ♭5 ♭7 ♭3Base triadD♭ diminished, 2nd inversion
The root drops to the string below the triad. The ♭7th takes the root’s string.
The construction rules D♭m7♭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.
All the rules, with examples, in the guide to the chord library.
Minor 7th ♭5 (half-diminished) in every key
More chords on D♭
D♭m7♭5 chord questions
What notes are in D♭m7♭5?
D♭m7♭5 is spelled D♭ F♭ A𝄫 C♭: D♭ is the root, F♭ is the ♭3rd, A𝄫 is the ♭5th, C♭ is the ♭7th.
What is the formula of D♭m7♭5?
1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7. It is a D♭ diminished triad with the ♭7th stacked on top.
How many ways can you play D♭m7♭5 on guitar?
This page shows 9 voicings of D♭m7♭5, filed under the five CAGED shapes and named by inversion, from the open position up to the 16th fret.