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Piano chord

Cm7♭5C half-diminished

  • C1
  • E♭♭3
  • G♭♭5
  • B♭♭7
Notes
4
Positions
4
Span
10semitones
Fingers
1-2-3-5

How to play Cm7♭5 on piano

  1. Find C: it is the root and the lowest note of the chord in root position.
  2. Right hand: 1 on C, 2 on E♭, 3 on G♭, 5 on B♭.
  3. Or with the left hand: 5 on C, 4 on E♭, 3 on G♭, 1 on B♭.
  4. Press the keys together, with curved fingers and a loose wrist, and let them ring.
  1. Cm7♭5 on piano, Root position: C E♭ G♭ B♭C, E♭, G♭, B♭CE♭G♭B♭1235
    Cm7♭5 on piano, Root position: C E♭ G♭ B♭C, E♭, G♭, B♭CE♭G♭B♭5431

    Root position · C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭

  2. Cm7♭5 on piano, 1st inversion: E♭ G♭ B♭ CE♭, G♭, B♭, CCE♭G♭B♭5124
    Cm7♭5 on piano, 1st inversion: E♭ G♭ B♭ CE♭, G♭, B♭, CCE♭G♭B♭1542

    1st inversion · E♭ – G♭ – B♭ – C

  3. Cm7♭5 on piano, 2nd inversion: G♭ B♭ C E♭G♭, B♭, C, E♭CG♭B♭E♭4135
    Cm7♭5 on piano, 2nd inversion: G♭ B♭ C E♭G♭, B♭, C, E♭CG♭B♭E♭2531

    2nd inversion · G♭ – B♭ – C – E♭

  4. Cm7♭5 on piano, 3rd inversion: B♭ C E♭ G♭B♭, C, E♭, G♭CB♭E♭G♭2135
    Cm7♭5 on piano, 3rd inversion: B♭ C E♭ G♭B♭, C, E♭, G♭CB♭E♭G♭4521

    3rd inversion · B♭ – C – E♭ – G♭

Numbers on the keys are fingers: 1 thumb, 2 index, 3 middle, 4 ring, 5 little finger.

Cm7♭5 inversions

Here are all 4 positions of Cm7♭5. The notes stay the same, only their order changes: root position has C at the bottom, and every inversion starts on the next chord tone.

Chords that go with Cm7♭5

The other chords of D flat major, the key where Cm7♭5 is home (viiø7). Songs in this key move between them.

Cm7♭5 with two hands

A full sound: the left hand plays C an octave lower, the right hand plays C–E♭–G♭–B♭.

Cm7♭5 with two handsC, C, E♭, G♭, B♭CCE♭G♭B♭51235

Cm7♭5 on other instruments

About the Cm7♭5 chord

The 4 notes of C half-diminished are C (1), E♭ (♭3), G♭ (♭5), B♭ (♭7). A half-diminished chord: a diminished triad with the flat seventh. It is the ii chord in minor keys and leads to the dominant.

Put your thumb on C and count up: C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭. The whole chord spans 10 semitones from bottom to top. That fits inside an octave, so one hand covers Cm7♭5 without stretching.

The inversions of Cm7♭5 keep the same notes in a new order. In the 1st inversion the bass is E♭ (E♭–G♭–B♭–C). In the 2nd inversion the bass is G♭ (G♭–B♭–C–E♭). In the 3rd inversion the bass is B♭ (B♭–C–E♭–G♭).

Add B♭ to Cdim and you have Cm7♭5.

Cm7♭5 belongs to D flat major (viiø7), B flat minor (iiø7).

Questions

What notes are in the Cm7♭5 chord?

Cm7♭5 (C half-diminished) has 4 notes: C (1), E♭ (♭3), G♭ (♭5), B♭ (♭7).

How many inversions does Cm7♭5 have?

Cm7♭5 can be played in 4 positions: Root position (C–E♭–G♭–B♭); 1st inversion (E♭–G♭–B♭–C); 2nd inversion (G♭–B♭–C–E♭); 3rd inversion (B♭–C–E♭–G♭).

What is the difference between Cm7♭5 and Cdim?

Add B♭ to Cdim and you have Cm7♭5.

Can I play Cm7♭5 with one hand?

Yes. In root position Cm7♭5 spans 10 semitones, less than an octave, so one hand holds it easily.

More C chords