E half-diminished chord (Em7♭5)

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

NotesE – G – B♭ – D
Formula1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭7
SymbolEm7♭5 · Eø · Em7b5
TypeHalf-diminished chord

E half-diminished on guitar

Fret 7 (A shape)

How to place your fingers (fret 7)

Finger 1 (index) on fret 7 of the 5th string (A).
Finger 3 (ring) on fret 8 of the 4th string (D).
Place finger 2 (middle) at fret 7 on the 3rd string (G).
Finger 4 (pinky) on fret 8 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 (E).

E half-diminished on piano

In root position, play E – G – B♭ – D 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 (E) or the root and the fifth.

Inversions

First inversion: G – B♭ – D – E
Second inversion: B♭ – D – E – G
Third inversion: D – E – G – B♭

E 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 E half-diminished

E1 · root
G♭3 · minor third
B♭♭5 · diminished fifth
D♭7 · minor seventh

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

Progressions with Em7♭5

ii–V–i in minor: iiø7 – V7 – i

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

Which keys contain E half-diminished?

Em7♭5 belongs to 2 keys: in each one it plays a different role depending on the degree (the Roman numeral).

Key	Degree
F major	viiø7
D natural minor	iiø7

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the E half-diminished chord?

E half-diminished (Em7♭5) has 4 notes: E (root), G (minor third), B♭ (diminished fifth), D (minor seventh).

How do you play E half-diminished on guitar?

The most common shape starts at fret 7: x 7 8 7 8 x (from the 6th to the 1st string). Finger 1 (index) on fret 7 of the 5th string (A). Finger 3 (ring) on fret 8 of the 4th string (D). Finger 2 (middle) on fret 7 of the 3rd string (G). Finger 4 (pinky) on fret 8 of the 2nd string (B). Do not play the 6th or 1st strings: strum from the 5th.

How do you write E half-diminished as a chord symbol?

It's written Em7♭5; you may also see Eø or Em7b5. Letter notation uses letters for note names: C, D, E, F, G, A and B correspond to Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La and Si.

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