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Dm7♭5

Character: wistful

  1. DRtriad
  2. F♭3triad
  3. A♭♭5triad
  4. C♭7add
Open Dm7♭5 in the chord libraryDownload the Dm7♭5 chart (PDF)
Voicings

10 ways to play Dm7♭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
CC shape 3rd inversion Dm7♭5/C
1 2 3 4 5 R ♭5 ♭3 ♭7

Frets x 3 3 1 3 xNotes C F A♭ DIntervals ♭7 ♭3 ♭5 1Base triadD diminished, 1st inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

CC shape Root position Dm7♭5
1 2 3 4 5 ♭7 ♭5 ♭3 R ♭3

Frets x 5 3 1 1 1Notes D F A♭ CIntervals 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7Base triadD diminished, root position

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

CC shape 2nd inversion Dm7♭5/A♭
1 2 3 4 5 ♭7 ♭3 R ♭5 ♭5 R

Frets 4 5 3 5 3 4Notes A♭ D F CIntervals ♭5 1 ♭3 ♭7Base triadD diminished, 2nd inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

AA shape 2nd inversion Dm7♭5/A♭
5 6 7 8 ♭7 ♭3 R ♭5

Frets x x 6 7 6 8Notes A♭ D F CIntervals ♭5 1 ♭3 ♭7Base triadD diminished, 2nd inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

AA shape 2nd inversion AnchoredDm7♭5
5 6 7 8 R ♭3 ♭7 ♭5 R

Frets x 5 6 5 6 xNotes D A♭ C FIntervals 1 ♭5 ♭7 ♭3Base triadD diminished, 2nd inversion

The root drops to the string below the triad. The ♭7th takes the root’s string.

GG shape 3rd inversion Dm7♭5/C
6 7 8 9 10 R ♭5 ♭3 ♭7

Frets 8 8 6 7 x xNotes C F A♭ DIntervals ♭7 ♭3 ♭5 1Base triadD diminished, 1st inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

EE shape 3rd inversion Dm7♭5/C
9 10 11 12 R ♭5 ♭3 ♭7

Frets x x 10 10 9 10Notes C F A♭ DIntervals ♭7 ♭3 ♭5 1Base triadD diminished, 1st inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

EE shape 2nd inversion Dm7♭5/A♭
10 11 12 13 ♭7 ♭3 R ♭5 R R

Frets 10 11 12 10 13 10Notes A♭ D F CIntervals ♭5 1 ♭3 ♭7Base triadD diminished, 2nd inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

EE shape 2nd inversion AnchoredDm7♭5
10 11 12 13 R ♭3 ♭7 ♭5 R

Frets 10 11 10 10 x xNotes D A♭ C FIntervals 1 ♭5 ♭7 ♭3Base triadD diminished, 2nd inversion

The root drops to the string below the triad. The ♭7th takes the root’s string.

DD shape 2nd inversion AnchoredDm7♭5
1 2 3 4 R ♭3 ♭7 ♭5 R

Frets x x 0 1 1 1Notes D A♭ C FIntervals 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 rules

The construction rules Dm7♭5 follows

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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

Dm7♭5 chord questions

What notes are in Dm7♭5?

Dm7♭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 Dm7♭5?

1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7. It is a D diminished triad with the ♭7th stacked on top.

How many ways can you play Dm7♭5 on guitar?

This page shows 10 voicings of Dm7♭5, filed under the five CAGED shapes and named by inversion, from the open position up to the 16th fret.