Position 1 / 4

This chord has 4 voicings across the fretboard. Use the arrows to see each shape and fingering — and tap any dot on the diagram to hear that note.

Beginner

Bm7♭5 Guitar Chord

A half-diminished seventh chord with a dark, restless quality. Bm7♭5 appears naturally in minor keys and is essential for jazz ii-V-i progressions.

Also known as

  • B ø
  • Bø7
  • B ø7
  • Bm7b5
  • B m7♭5
  • B m7b5
  • Bhalf-dim
  • B half-dim
  • Bhalf-dim7
  • B half-dim7
  • B half-diminished 7th
  • B half-diminished seventh

How to Play This Chord

Position your fingers on the fretboard as shown in the diagram. The vertical lines represent the strings, from low E (left) to high E (right), and the horizontal lines are the frets. Numbers inside the dots indicate which finger to use: 1 (index), 2 (middle), 3 (ring), 4 (pinky). An X means don't play that string; an O means play it open. A bar spanning multiple strings means one finger presses across all of them at once — this is known as a barre chord.

Tips & Tricks

B half-diminished is the ii chord in A minor, one of the guitar's most natural keys. This makes it one of the most commonly needed half-diminished chords. Practice it in the minor ii-V-i: Bm7♭5 → E7 → Am until the movement feels automatic.

There are many ways to play this chord. Try these:

eBGDAE 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3
eBGDAE 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 2
eBGDAE 2 3 3 2 2 3 3 2
eBGDAE 2 3 2 3 3 3 2 3

See how Bm7♭5 works with other chords — Progression Generator