A minor seventh flat five chord, also known as a half diminished seventh chord, is composed using a root/1st, minor 3rd, diminished 5th and minor 7th (or R/1-♭3-♭5-♭7) intervals played simultaneously. Generally written as Cmi7(♭5), C∅ or C-7(-5), it is good practice to simply use an uppercase C with lowercase letters mi followed by a super scripted 7(♭5) to represent it in writing (ie: Cmi7(♭5)).
The minor seventh flat five chord is built upon the seventh degree of the harmonized major scale (tetrads) and possesses an extraordinary drive towards root resolution. The tonality of a minor seventh flat five chord is dissonant, unstable and unresolved.
Minor seventh flat five chord profile
| Intervals | root/1st, minor 3rd, diminished 5th, minor 7th or R/1-♭3-♭5-♭7 |
|---|---|
| Stability | Dissonant, unstable, unresolved |
| Grouping class | Tetrad |
| Common names (examples in C) | Cmi7(♭5), C∅, C−7(-5), Half Diminished |
Chord shapes/voicings
Minor seventh flat five chord table
| Chord name | Root | Minor third | Diminished fifth | Minor seventh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmi7(♭5) | C | E♭ | G♭ | B♭ |
| C♯mi7(♭5) | C♯ | E | G | B |
| D♭mi7(♭5) | D♭ | F♭ (E) | A (G) |
C♭ (B) |
| Dmi7(♭5) | D | F | A♭ | C |
| D♯mi7(♭5) | D♯ | F♯ | A | C♯ |
| E♭mi7(♭5) | E♭ | G♭ | B (A) |
D♭ |
| Emi7(♭5) | E | G | B♭ | D |
| Fmi7(♭5) | F | A♭ | C♭ (B) | E♭ |
| F♯mi7(♭5) | F♯ | A | C | E |
| G♭mi7(♭5) | G♭ | B (A) |
D (C) |
F♭ (E) |
| Gmi7(♭5) | G | B♭ | D♭ | F |
| G♯mi7(♭5) | G♯ | B | D | F♯ |
| A♭mi7(♭5) | A♭ | C♭ (B) | E (D) |
G♭ |
| Ami7(♭5) | A | C | E♭ | G |
| A♯mi7(♭5) | A♯ | C♯ | E | G♯ |
| B♭mi7(♭5) | B♭ | D♭ | F♭ (E) | A♭ |
| Bmi7(♭5) | B | D | F | A |
Audio sample(s)
| C Minor seventh flat five chord voicing #2 |
|---|
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