Piano chord
B half-diminished chord
Bm7♭5 is a half-diminished seventh chord: the root B, a minor 3rd up to D, a diminished 5th up to F and a minor 7th up to A.
- Symbol
- Bm7♭5
- Notes
- B – D – F – A
Play it yourself
Tap B, D, F and A on the keys below, in any order.
- B
- D
- F
- A
Half-diminished chords are a diminished triad with a minor seventh on top. They are the ii chord in minor keys and lead strongly to the dominant.
Inversions of Bm7♭5
An inversion keeps the same notes but puts a different one at the bottom. Pianists use them to move between chords with less jumping.
- Root position
B – D – F – A
- 1st inversion · Bm7♭5/D
D – F – A – B
- 2nd inversion · Bm7♭5/F
F – A – B – D
- 3rd inversion · Bm7♭5/A
A – B – D – F
Keys with Bm7♭5
Bm7♭5 occurs naturally in these keys. The Roman numeral shows which step of the scale it is built on.