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E♭ minor 7th flat 5th chord on bass (E♭m7♭5)
Also called or written E♭m7♭5, E♭ or E♭ Half Diminished Minor 7
E♭ minor 7th flat 5th contains E♭, G♭, B♭♭ and D♭. The 11th-fret shape spreads four fingers across two frets, demanding a wide left-hand stretch.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭7
- Root positionE♭–G♭–B♭♭–D♭E♭m7♭511-12-11-11
- First inversionG♭–B♭♭–D♭–E♭E♭m7♭5/G♭no shape on this instrument
- Second inversionB♭♭–D♭–E♭–G♭E♭m7♭5/B♭♭5-6-4-6
- Third inversionD♭–E♭–G♭–B♭♭E♭m7♭5/D♭9-9-7-8
How do you play an E♭ minor 7th flat 5th chord on bass?
E♭ minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 11th fret as 11 12 11 11: index finger on the E string at fret 11, pinky finger on the A string at fret 12, middle finger on the D string at fret 11 and ring finger on the G string at fret 11.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 11 | 1 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (A) | 12 | 4 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (D) | 11 | 2 | D♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (G) | 11 | 3 | G♭ (♭3) |
AdvancedThe wide stretch between the index finger on the 4th string and the pinky on the 3rd string at the 11th fret is the hardest part.
E♭m7♭5/B♭♭ inversion
E♭ minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 4th fret as 5 6 4 6: middle finger on the E string at fret 5, ring finger on the A string at fret 6, index finger on the D string at fret 4 and pinky finger on the G string at fret 6.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 5 | 2 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 3 (A) | 6 | 3 | E♭ (1) |
| 2 (D) | 4 | 1 | G♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (G) | 6 | 4 | D♭ (♭7) |
E♭m7♭5/D♭ inversion
E♭ minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 7th fret as 9 9 7 8: ring finger on the E string at fret 9, pinky finger on the A string at fret 9, index finger on the D string at fret 7 and middle finger on the G string at fret 8.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 9 | 3 | D♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (A) | 9 | 4 | G♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (D) | 7 | 1 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 1 (G) | 8 | 2 | E♭ (1) |
Why it sounds like that
E♭ minor 7th flat 5th is built from the formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭7. The diminished 5th between E♭ and B♭♭ gives the chord its tense, unresolved quality. Raising the ♭5 to a perfect 5th produces E♭ minor 7th, the closest stable contrast.
What goes wrong with E♭ minor 7th flat 5th?
- Letting the pinky collapse and mute the 2nd string.
- Fretting the 1st string with the ring finger too far from the fret, causing a buzz.
- Allowing the index finger to touch the 3rd string and deaden the E♭.
When to use it
E♭ minor 7th flat 5th functions as the ii chord in C♯ natural minor and the vii chord in E major. Use it in minor-key jazz and blues lines where the half-diminished colour leads to a dominant. It pairs naturally with E♭ minor and E♭ 5th.
Changing to and from E♭ minor 7th flat 5th
- Sliding the shape down one fret to the 10th fret gives D minor 7th flat 5th.
Which voicing to use
The 11th-fret root position keeps E♭ in the bass for a grounded sound. The E♭m7♭5/A inversion at the 5th fret places the diminished 5th in the bass, creating a darker, less stable feel. Choose the E♭m7♭5/C♯ inversion when the bass line needs to descend to D♭.
Other E♭ chords
Common questions
How is E♭ minor 7th flat 5th written?
E♭ minor 7th flat 5th is written as E♭m7♭5, and it is also called Half Diminished Minor 7. The ASCII root spelling is Eb. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
What is the difference between E♭ minor 7th flat 5th and E♭ diminished?
E♭ minor 7th flat 5th adds a minor 7th to the diminished triad. E♭ diminished has only the root, ♭3 and ♭5.
Why does E♭ minor 7th flat 5th sound unstable?
The tritone between E♭ and B♭♭ creates tension that wants to resolve. This instability makes the chord useful as a passing harmony.