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C minor 7th flat 5th chord on guitar (Cm7♭5)
Also called or written Cm7♭5, C or C Half Diminished Minor 7
C minor 7th flat 5th contains C, E♭, G♭, and B♭. The 1st fret voicing uses a barre across two strings, demanding precise pressure.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭7
- Root positionC–E♭–G♭–B♭Cm7♭5×-3-1-3-1-2
- First inversionE♭–G♭–B♭–CCm7♭5/E♭×-×-1-3-1-2
- Second inversionG♭–B♭–C–E♭Cm7♭5/G♭2-1-1-3-1-2
- Third inversionB♭–C–E♭–G♭Cm7♭5/B♭×-1-1-3-1-2
How do you play a C minor 7th flat 5th chord on guitar?
C minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 1st fret as × 3 1 3 1 2: barre your index finger across fret 1, ring finger on the A string at fret 3, pinky finger on the G string at fret 3 and middle finger on the high e string at fret 2. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 3 | 3 | C (1) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (♭3) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 4 | B♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 1 | 1 (barre) | C (1) |
| 1 (e) | 2 | 2 | G♭ (♭5) |
AdvancedThe 1st fret voicing requires a barre across the 4th and 2nd strings while the pinky stretches to the 3rd fret.
3rd fret
C minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 3rd fret as × 3 4 3 4 ×: index finger on the A string at fret 3, ring finger on the D string at fret 4, middle finger on the G string at fret 3 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 4. The low E and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 3 | 1 | C (1) |
| 4 (D) | 4 | 3 | G♭ (♭5) |
| 3 (G) | 3 | 2 | B♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 4 | E♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
8th fret
C minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 8th fret as 8 9 8 8 × ×: index finger on the low E string at fret 8, pinky finger on the A string at fret 9, middle finger on the D string at fret 8 and ring finger on the G string at fret 8. The B and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8 | 1 | C (1) |
| 5 (A) | 9 | 4 | G♭ (♭5) |
| 4 (D) | 8 | 2 | B♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 3 | E♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
10th fret
C minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 10th fret as × × 10 11 11 11: index finger on the D string at fret 10, middle finger on the G string at fret 11, ring finger on the B string at fret 11 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 11. The low E and A strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | muted | — | — |
| 4 (D) | 10 | 1 | C (1) |
| 3 (G) | 11 | 2 | G♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (B) | 11 | 3 | B♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 11 | 4 | E♭ (♭3) |
13th fret
C minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 13th fret as × 15 13 15 13 14: barre your index finger across fret 13, ring finger on the A string at fret 15, pinky finger on the G string at fret 15 and middle finger on the high e string at fret 14. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 15 | 3 | C (1) |
| 4 (D) | 13 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (♭3) |
| 3 (G) | 15 | 4 | B♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 13 | 1 (barre) | C (1) |
| 1 (e) | 14 | 2 | G♭ (♭5) |
Why it sounds like that
C minor 7th flat 5th is built from the formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭7. The diminished 5th between C and G♭ creates the half-diminished sound. Compare it to C minor 7th, which has a perfect 5th instead.
What goes wrong with C minor 7th flat 5th?
- Letting the 6th string ring out, which adds an E that is not part of the chord.
- Not pressing the barre evenly, causing the 2nd string to buzz.
When to use it
C minor 7th flat 5th functions as the ii chord in B♭ natural minor, leading to F7 and then B♭ minor. Its dark color suits bebop lines and minor ii–V–i progressions.
Changing to and from C minor 7th flat 5th
- Move to C minor 7th by lifting the pinky from the 3rd string, 3rd fret, and placing it on the 2nd string, 3rd fret.
Which voicing to use
The 1st fret voicing has the root C in the bass, while the 3rd fret position offers a movable shape without a barre. The 8th fret position provides a higher, more piercing sound.
Other C chords
Common questions
How is C minor 7th flat 5th written?
C minor 7th flat 5th is written as Cm7♭5 or C half-diminished. The symbol C alone is not used for this chord.
What is the difference between C minor 7th flat 5th and C diminished?
C minor 7th flat 5th has a minor 7th (B♭), while C diminished has a diminished 7th (B♭♭). The half-diminished chord is less dissonant.
Why is the 6th string muted in the 1st fret voicing?
The open 6th string is E, which is not a chord tone of C minor 7th flat 5th. Muting it keeps the bass note C clear.