C♯ half-diminished chord (C♯m7♭5)

C♯ half-diminished is a 4-note half-diminished chord: C♯ – E – G – B. It sounds tense but soft, with a dark color. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele, with fingering and audio. Also called D♭ half-diminished (D♭m7♭5).

NotesC♯ – E – G – B
Formula1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭7
SymbolC♯m7♭5 · C♯ø · C♯m7b5
EnharmonicD♭ half-diminished (D♭m7♭5)

C♯ half-diminished on guitar

Fret 4 (A shape)
Fret 9 (E shape)

How to place your fingers (fret 4)

Finger 1 (index) on fret 4 of the 5th string (A).
Finger 3 (ring) on fret 5 of the 4th string (D).
Finger 2 (middle) on fret 4 of the 3rd string (G).
Finger 4 (pinky) on fret 5 of the 2nd string (B).
Do not play the 6th and 1st strings: strum from the 5th string.

The numbers inside the dots are the fingers of your left hand: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring and 4 pinky. The colored dots mark the root (C♯). The other positions let you change chords without jumping along the neck, or give you a higher-pitched sound.

C♯ half-diminished on piano

In root position, play C♯ – E – G – B from bottom to top with fingers 1, 2, 3 and 5 of your right hand. With your left hand you usually play just the root (C♯) or the root and the fifth.

Inversions

First inversion: E – G – B – C♯
Second inversion: G – B – C♯ – E
Third inversion: B – C♯ – E – G

C♯ half-diminished on ukulele

Open position
From fret 3

Standard tuning G – C – E – A (the G string is the high one). Is your ukulele in tune? Use the ukulele tuner.

Notes and intervals of C♯ half-diminished

C♯1 · root
E♭3 · minor third
G♭5 · diminished fifth
B♭7 · minor seventh

It's the second degree in minor keys (iiø–V7–i), very common in boleros, tango and jazz.

Progressions with C♯m7♭5

ii–V–i in minor: iiø7 – V7 – i

The minor cadence of boleros, tangos and jazz, in B natural minor.

Which keys contain C♯ half-diminished?

C♯m7♭5 belongs to 2 keys: in each one it plays a different role depending on the degree (the Roman numeral).

Key	Degree
D major	viiø7
B natural minor	iiø7

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the C♯ half-diminished chord?

C♯ half-diminished (C♯m7♭5) has 4 notes: C♯ (root), E (minor third), G (diminished fifth), B (minor seventh).

How do you play C♯ half-diminished on guitar?

The most common shape starts at fret 4: x 4 5 4 5 x (from string 6 to string 1). Finger 1 (index) on fret 4 of string 5 (A). Finger 3 (ring) on fret 5 of string 4 (D). Finger 2 (middle) on fret 4 of string 3 (G). Finger 4 (pinky) on fret 5 of string 2 (B). Don't play strings 6 and 1: strum from string 5.

Is C♯m7♭5 the same as D♭m7♭5?

Yes: C♯ half-diminished and D♭ half-diminished sound the same and are played the same way (they are enharmonic). The spelling depends on the key of the song; you'll see both names in sheet music and songbooks.

How do you write C-sharp half-diminished in chord notation?

It is written C♯m7♭5; you may also see C♯ø or C♯m7b5. Letter notation uses these equivalents to solfège: C = Do, D = Re, E = Mi, F = Fa, G = Sol, A = La, and B = Si.

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