Piano chord
B Half-Diminished Chord
Bm7♭5 is a half-diminished chord built on B. It contains the notes B – D – F – A.
Bm7♭5
Also written: Bø7, Bø
- B
- D
- F
- A
Notes in Bm7♭5
Count up from B using the intervals below. The formula shows each note relative to the B major scale.
| Notes | Intervals | Formula | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | Root | 1 | 0 |
| D | Minor 3rd | ♭3 | 3 |
| F | Diminished 5th | ♭5 | 6 |
| A | Minor 7th | ♭7 | 10 |
How to play Bm7♭5 on piano
- Right hand: fingers 1–2–3–5 (thumb on B).
- Left hand: fingers 5–3–2–1, or play just the root in the left hand and the other notes in the right.
- Inversions keep your hand closer to the previous chord — see below.
Bm7♭5 inversions
An inversion puts a different note of Bm7♭5 at the bottom. The notes stay the same, the colour and voice leading change.
Root position
Bm7♭5B – D – F – A
1st inversion
Bm7♭5/DD – F – A – B
2nd inversion
Bm7♭5/FF – A – B – D
3rd inversion
Bm7♭5/AA – B – D – F
About half-diminished chords
Also called the half-diminished chord. The most melancholic chord in jazz — often used as the ii chord in minor key progressions.
Sound: Wistful & jazzy-dark
Songs that use it
- Autumn Leaves · Miles DavisJazz
- Summertime · George GershwinJazz
- Nature Boy · Nat King ColeJazz
Keys that contain Bm7♭5
Bm7♭5 is built only from notes of these keys. The Roman numeral shows its role in each key.
Hear Bm7♭5 with different sounds and compare it with other chords in the interactive builder.
Open in the chord builderPractising on an acoustic piano that sounds off?
If chords sound sour even when you play the right notes, the piano is probably out of tune. Our technicians tune pianos across Israel.