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E♭ minor 7th flat 5th chord on guitar (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 1st fret voicing stacks three fingers on adjacent strings, demanding precise placement.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭7
- Root positionE♭–G♭–B♭♭–D♭E♭m7♭5×-×-1-2-2-2
- First inversionG♭–B♭♭–D♭–E♭E♭m7♭5/G♭2-0-1-2-2-×
- Second inversionB♭♭–D♭–E♭–G♭E♭m7♭5/B♭♭×-0-1-2-2-2
- Third inversionD♭–E♭–G♭–B♭♭E♭m7♭5/D♭×-4-4-2-4-2
How do you play an E♭ minor 7th flat 5th chord on guitar?
E♭ minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 1st fret as × × 1 2 2 2: index finger on the D string at fret 1, middle finger on the G string at fret 2, ring finger on the B string at fret 2 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 2. 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) | 1 | 1 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 2 | 2 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (B) | 2 | 3 | D♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 2 | 4 | G♭ (♭3) |
AdvancedThe 1st fret voicing requires four fingers on four adjacent strings within two frets.
4th fret
E♭ minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 4th fret as × 6 4 6 4 5: barre your index finger across fret 4, ring finger on the A string at fret 6, pinky finger on the G string at fret 6 and middle finger on the high e string at fret 5. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 3 | E♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 4 | 1 (barre) | G♭ (♭3) |
| 3 (G) | 6 | 4 | D♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 1 (barre) | E♭ (1) |
| 1 (e) | 5 | 2 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
6th fret
E♭ minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 6th fret as × 6 7 6 7 ×: index finger on the A string at fret 6, ring finger on the D string at fret 7, middle finger on the G string at fret 6 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 7. The low E and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 6 | 1 | E♭ (1) |
| 4 (D) | 7 | 3 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 3 (G) | 6 | 2 | D♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 7 | 4 | G♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
11th fret
E♭ minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 11th fret as 11 12 11 11 × ×: index finger on the low 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. The B and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11 | 1 | E♭ (1) |
| 5 (A) | 12 | 4 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 4 (D) | 11 | 2 | D♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 11 | 3 | G♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
13th fret
E♭ minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 13th fret as × × 13 14 14 14: index finger on the D string at fret 13, middle finger on the G string at fret 14, ring finger on the B string at fret 14 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 14. 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) | 13 | 1 | E♭ (1) |
| 3 (G) | 14 | 2 | B♭♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (B) | 14 | 3 | D♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 14 | 4 | G♭ (♭3) |
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 unstable character. Compare it to E♭ minor 7th, which has a B♭ instead of B♭♭.
What goes wrong with E♭ minor 7th flat 5th?
- Letting the 6th string ring out, which adds an E that is not part of the chord.
- Muting the 5th string incompletely, causing it to sound and muddy the bass.
When to use it
E♭ minor 7th flat 5th acts as the ii chord in C♯ natural minor, leading to A♭7 and then C♯ minor. Its dark color suits jazz ballads and minor blues.
Changing to and from E♭ minor 7th flat 5th
- Move to E♭ minor 7th by lifting the pinky from the 1st string, 2nd fret, and placing it on the 2nd string, 3rd fret.
Which voicing to use
The 1st fret voicing has the root E♭ in the bass, while the 4th fret position offers a movable shape with a barre. The 11th fret position provides a higher register for soloing.
Other E♭ chords
Common questions
How is E♭ minor 7th flat 5th written?
E♭ minor 7th flat 5th is written as E♭m7♭5 or E♭ half-diminished. The ASCII root 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 has a minor 7th (D♭), while E♭ diminished has a diminished 7th (D♭♭). The half-diminished chord is less tense.
Why is the 5th string muted in the 1st fret voicing?
The 5th string open is A, which is a chord tone, but muting it preserves the intended bass note E♭ and keeps the voicing clear.