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F♯m7♭5

Character: wistful

  1. F♯Rtriad
  2. A♭3triad
  3. C♭5triad
  4. E♭7add
Open F♯m7♭5 in the chord libraryDownload the F♯m7♭5 chart (PDF)
Voicings

12 ways to play F♯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
CC shape 3rd inversion F♯m7♭5/E
5 6 7 8 9 R ♭5 ♭3 ♭7

Frets x 7 7 5 7 xNotes E A C F♯Intervals ♭7 ♭3 ♭5 1Base triadF♯ diminished, 1st inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

CC shape Root position F♯m7♭5
5 6 7 8 9 ♭7 ♭5 ♭3 R ♭3

Frets x 9 7 5 5 5Notes F♯ A C EIntervals 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7Base triadF♯ diminished, root position

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

CC shape 2nd inversion F♯m7♭5/C
6 7 8 9 ♭7 ♭3 R ♭5 ♭5 R

Frets 8 9 7 9 7 8Notes C F♯ A EIntervals ♭5 1 ♭3 ♭7Base triadF♯ diminished, 2nd inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

AA shape 2nd inversion F♯m7♭5/C
9 10 11 12 ♭7 ♭3 R ♭5

Frets x x 10 11 10 12Notes C F♯ A EIntervals ♭5 1 ♭3 ♭7Base triadF♯ diminished, 2nd inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

AA shape 2nd inversion AnchoredF♯m7♭5
9 10 11 12 R ♭3 ♭7 ♭5 R

Frets x 9 10 9 10 xNotes F♯ C E AIntervals 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 F♯m7♭5/E
10 11 12 13 14 R ♭5 ♭3 ♭7

Frets 12 12 10 11 x xNotes E A C F♯Intervals ♭7 ♭3 ♭5 1Base triadF♯ diminished, 1st inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

EE shape 3rd inversion F♯m7♭5/E
1 2 3 4 R ♭5 ♭3 ♭7

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

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

EE shape Root position F♯m7♭5
1 2 3 4 ♭7 ♭5 ♭3 R ♭5 R

Frets 2 3 4 2 1 0Notes F♯ A C EIntervals 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7Base triadF♯ diminished, root position

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

EE shape 2nd inversion F♯m7♭5/C
1 2 3 4 5 ♭7 ♭3 R ♭5 R R

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

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

EE shape 3rd inversion F♯m7♭5/E
1 2 3 4 ♭3 R ♭5 ♭7

Frets 0 3 4 2 x xNotes E C F♯ AIntervals ♭7 ♭5 1 ♭3Base triadF♯ diminished, 2nd inversion

The ♭7th gets a string of its own.

EE shape 2nd inversion AnchoredF♯m7♭5
1 2 3 4 R ♭3 ♭7 ♭5 R

Frets 2 3 2 2 x xNotes F♯ C E AIntervals 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 AnchoredF♯m7♭5
4 5 6 7 R ♭3 ♭7 ♭5 R

Frets x x 4 5 5 5Notes F♯ C E AIntervals 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 F♯m7♭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♯

F♯m7♭5 chord questions

What notes are in F♯m7♭5?

F♯m7♭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 F♯m7♭5?

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

How many ways can you play F♯m7♭5 on guitar?

This page shows 12 voicings of F♯m7♭5, filed under the five CAGED shapes and named by inversion, from the open position up to the 16th fret.