Chord Library
Tip meOpen App →

Fm7♭5

Character: wistful

  1. FRtriad
  2. A♭♭3triad
  3. C♭♭5triad
  4. E♭♭7add
Open Fm7♭5 in the chord libraryDownload the Fm7♭5 chart (PDF)
Voicings

10 ways to play Fm7♭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 Fm7♭5/E♭
4 5 6 7 8 R ♭5 ♭3 ♭7

Frets x 6 6 4 6 xNotes E♭ A♭ C♭ FIntervals ♭7 ♭3 ♭5 1Base triadF diminished, 1st inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

CC shape Root position Fm7♭5
4 5 6 7 8 ♭7 ♭5 ♭3 R ♭3

Frets x 8 6 4 4 4Notes F A♭ C♭ E♭Intervals 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7Base triadF diminished, root position

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

CC shape 2nd inversion Fm7♭5/C♭
5 6 7 8 ♭7 ♭3 R ♭5 ♭5 ♭5

Frets 7 8 6 8 0 7Notes C♭ F A♭ E♭Intervals ♭5 1 ♭3 ♭7Base triadF diminished, 2nd inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

AA shape 2nd inversion Fm7♭5/C♭
8 9 10 11 ♭7 ♭3 R ♭5

Frets x x 9 10 9 11Notes C♭ F A♭ E♭Intervals ♭5 1 ♭3 ♭7Base triadF diminished, 2nd inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

AA shape 2nd inversion AnchoredFm7♭5
8 9 10 11 R ♭3 ♭7 ♭5 R

Frets x 8 9 8 9 xNotes F C♭ E♭ A♭Intervals 1 ♭5 ♭7 ♭3Base triadF diminished, 2nd inversion

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

GG shape 3rd inversion Fm7♭5/E♭
9 10 11 12 13 R ♭5 ♭3 ♭7

Frets 11 11 9 10 x xNotes E♭ A♭ C♭ FIntervals ♭7 ♭3 ♭5 1Base triadF diminished, 1st inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

EE shape 3rd inversion Fm7♭5/E♭
1 2 3 4 R ♭5 ♭3 ♭7

Frets x x 1 1 0 1Notes E♭ A♭ C♭ FIntervals ♭7 ♭3 ♭5 1Base triadF diminished, 1st inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

EE shape 2nd inversion Fm7♭5/C♭
1 2 3 4 ♭7 ♭3 R ♭5 R R

Frets 1 2 3 1 4 1Notes C♭ F A♭ E♭Intervals ♭5 1 ♭3 ♭7Base triadF diminished, 2nd inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

EE shape 2nd inversion AnchoredFm7♭5
1 2 3 4 R ♭3 ♭7 ♭5 R R ♭5

Frets 1 2 1 1 0 1Notes F C♭ E♭ A♭Intervals 1 ♭5 ♭7 ♭3Base triadF diminished, 2nd inversion

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

DD shape 2nd inversion AnchoredFm7♭5
3 4 5 6 R ♭3 ♭7 ♭5 R

Frets x x 3 4 4 4Notes F C♭ E♭ A♭Intervals 1 ♭5 ♭7 ♭3Base triadF diminished, 2nd inversion

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

The rules

The construction rules Fm7♭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 F

Fm7♭5 chord questions

What notes are in Fm7♭5?

Fm7♭5 is spelled F A♭ C♭ E♭: F is the root, A♭ is the ♭3rd, C♭ is the ♭5th, E♭ is the ♭7th.

What is the formula of Fm7♭5?

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

How many ways can you play Fm7♭5 on guitar?

This page shows 10 voicings of Fm7♭5, filed under the five CAGED shapes and named by inversion, from the open position up to the 16th fret.