Piano chord
E half-diminished chord
Em7♭5 is a half-diminished seventh chord: the root E, a minor 3rd up to G, a diminished 5th up to B♭ and a minor 7th up to D.
- Symbol
- Em7♭5
- Notes
- E – G – B♭ – D
Play it yourself
Tap E, G, B♭ and D on the keys below, in any order.
- E
- G
- B♭
- D
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 Em7♭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
E – G – B♭ – D
- 1st inversion · Em7♭5/G
G – B♭ – D – E
- 2nd inversion · Em7♭5/B♭
B♭ – D – E – G
- 3rd inversion · Em7♭5/D
D – E – G – B♭
Keys with Em7♭5
Em7♭5 occurs naturally in these keys. The Roman numeral shows which step of the scale it is built on.