Piano chord
C♯ half-diminished chord
C♯m7♭5 is a half-diminished seventh chord: the root C♯, a minor 3rd up to E, a diminished 5th up to G and a minor 7th up to B.
- Symbol
- C♯m7♭5
- Notes
- C♯ – E – G – B
Play it yourself
Tap C♯, E, G and B on the keys below, in any order.
- C♯
- E
- G
- B
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 C♯m7♭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
C♯ – E – G – B
- 1st inversion · C♯m7♭5/E
E – G – B – C♯
- 2nd inversion · C♯m7♭5/G
G – B – C♯ – E
- 3rd inversion · C♯m7♭5/B
B – C♯ – E – G
Keys with C♯m7♭5
C♯m7♭5 occurs naturally in these keys. The Roman numeral shows which step of the scale it is built on.