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F minor 7th flat 5th chord on guitar (Fm7♭5)
Also called or written Fm7♭5, F or F Half Diminished Minor 7
F minor 7th flat 5th contains F, A♭, C♭, and E♭. The open voicing uses a wide stretch from the 1st to the 2nd fret, challenging finger independence.
How it is built
Formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭7
- Root positionF–A♭–C♭–E♭Fm7♭51-2-1-1-0-×
- First inversionA♭–C♭–E♭–FFm7♭5/A♭4-6-6-4-6-4
- Second inversionC♭–E♭–F–A♭Fm7♭5/C♭×-2-1-1-0-1
- Third inversionE♭–F–A♭–C♭Fm7♭5/E♭×-×-1-1-0-1
How do you play an F minor 7th flat 5th chord on guitar?
F minor 7th flat 5th is played in open position as 1 2 1 1 0 ×: index finger on the low E string at fret 1, pinky finger on the A string at fret 2, middle finger on the D string at fret 1 and ring finger on the G string at fret 1. The B string rings open. The high e string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 1 | 1 | F (1) |
| 5 (A) | 2 | 4 | C♭ (♭5) |
| 4 (D) | 1 | 2 | E♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 1 | 3 | A♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | open | — | C♭ (♭5) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
AdvancedThe open voicing requires a wide stretch between the index finger on the 6th string and the pinky on the 5th string.
3rd fret
F minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 3rd fret as × × 3 4 4 4: index finger on the D string at fret 3, middle finger on the G string at fret 4, ring finger on the B string at fret 4 and pinky finger on the high e string at fret 4. 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) | 3 | 1 | F (1) |
| 3 (G) | 4 | 2 | C♭ (♭5) |
| 2 (B) | 4 | 3 | E♭ (♭7) |
| 1 (e) | 4 | 4 | A♭ (♭3) |
6th fret
F minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 6th fret as × 8 6 8 6 7: barre your index finger across fret 6, ring finger on the A string at fret 8, pinky finger on the G string at fret 8 and middle finger on the high e string at fret 7. The low E string stays muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 8 | 3 | F (1) |
| 4 (D) | 6 | 1 (barre) | A♭ (♭3) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 4 | E♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 6 | 1 (barre) | F (1) |
| 1 (e) | 7 | 2 | C♭ (♭5) |
8th fret
F minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 8th fret as × 8 9 8 9 ×: index finger on the A string at fret 8, ring finger on the D string at fret 9, middle finger on the G string at fret 8 and pinky finger on the B string at fret 9. The low E and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | muted | — | — |
| 5 (A) | 8 | 1 | F (1) |
| 4 (D) | 9 | 3 | C♭ (♭5) |
| 3 (G) | 8 | 2 | E♭ (♭7) |
| 2 (B) | 9 | 4 | A♭ (♭3) |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
13th fret
F minor 7th flat 5th is played at the 13th fret as 13 14 13 13 × ×: index finger on the low E string at fret 13, pinky finger on the A string at fret 14, middle finger on the D string at fret 13 and ring finger on the G string at fret 13. The B and high e strings stay muted.
Full note and interval breakdown
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 13 | 1 | F (1) |
| 5 (A) | 14 | 4 | C♭ (♭5) |
| 4 (D) | 13 | 2 | E♭ (♭7) |
| 3 (G) | 13 | 3 | A♭ (♭3) |
| 2 (B) | muted | — | — |
| 1 (e) | muted | — | — |
Why it sounds like that
F minor 7th flat 5th is built from the formula 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭7. The diminished 5th between F and C♭ creates the half-diminished sound. Compare it to F minor 7th, which has a C instead of C♭.
What goes wrong with F minor 7th flat 5th?
- Letting the 1st string ring out, which adds an E that is not part of the chord.
- Flattening the ring finger onto the 2nd string, which deadens the open B.
When to use it
F minor 7th flat 5th functions as the ii chord in E♭ natural minor, leading to B♭7 and then E♭ minor. Its brooding quality fits modal jazz and slow blues.
Changing to and from F minor 7th flat 5th
- Move to F minor 7th by lifting the pinky from the 5th string, 2nd fret, and placing it on the 4th string, 3rd fret.
Which voicing to use
The open voicing has the root F in the bass, while the 3rd fret position offers a movable shape without open strings. The 6th fret position provides a higher, more piercing sound.
Other F chords
Common questions
How is F minor 7th flat 5th written?
F minor 7th flat 5th is written as Fm7♭5 or F half-diminished. The symbol F alone is not used for this chord.
What is the difference between F minor 7th flat 5th and F diminished?
F minor 7th flat 5th has a minor 7th (E♭), while F diminished has a diminished 7th (E♭♭). The half-diminished chord is less dissonant.
Why is the 1st string muted in the open voicing?
The open 1st string is E, which is not a chord tone of F minor 7th flat 5th. Muting it keeps the voicing clean.