Dm7♭5 chord
Dm7♭5 is D, F, A♭ and C: 1–♭3–♭5–♭7 built on D. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele. Tap Play on any of them.
On guitar
x-x-0-1-1-1 · open · easy
- Notes
- D · F · A♭ · C
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
- First shape
- x-x-0-1-1-1
Dm7♭5 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · D–F–A♭–C · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- D · F · A♭ · C
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
Dm7♭5 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
1-2-1-3 · movable · medium
- Notes
- D · F · A♭ · C
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
- First shape
- 1-2-1-3
Changing out of Dm7♭5
Three changes cover most of what Dm7♭5 does in songs.
- Dm7♭5 → G7 (the iiø7 of a minor key heads to V7)
Guitar: Dm7♭5 (x-x-0-1-1-1) to G7 (3-2-0-0-0-1): the index finger goes to the high E string, 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the A string, 2nd fret, move the ring finger to the low E string, 3rd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. Listen for D and F, which stay put while the rest moves.
Piano: Dm7♭5 to G7: play G7 in 2nd inversion (D–F–G–B) and D and F stay under the same fingers, while A♭ moves down to G and C down to B. G7 - Dm7♭5 → E♭maj7 (I in E♭ major)
Guitar: Dm7♭5 (x-x-0-1-1-1) to E♭maj7 (x-x-1-3-3-3): the index finger slides across to the D string at the same fret, the middle finger goes to the G string, 3rd fret, your ring finger lands on the B string, 3rd fret, the pinky finger comes down on the high E string, 3rd fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. Listen for D, which stays put while the rest moves.
Piano: Dm7♭5 to E♭maj7: play E♭maj7 in 3rd inversion (D–E♭–G–B♭) and D stays under the same finger, while F moves down to E♭, A♭ down to G and C down to B♭. E♭maj7 - Dm7♭5 → Gm7 (iii in E♭ major)
Guitar: Dm7♭5 (x-x-0-1-1-1) to Gm7 (3-5-3-3-3-3): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 3rd fret, move the middle finger to the A string, 5th fret. Shared notes: D and F.
Piano: Dm7♭5 to Gm7: play Gm7 in 2nd inversion (D–F–G–B♭) and D and F stay under the same fingers, while A♭ moves down to G and C down to B♭. Gm7
How Dm7♭5 is built
Dm7♭5 is a half-diminished chord (minor seventh flat five). It is the natural ii chord of a minor key: Dm7♭5 is ii in C minor, where it leads to G7 and then home.
Count keys (black and white) from D: 3 half steps up to F, 3 half steps up to A♭ then 4 half steps up to C.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| D | root | 0 | |
| F | minor third | 3 | |
| A♭ | diminished fifth | 6 | |
| C | minor seventh | 10 |
Keys and progressions with Dm7♭5
In major keys, Dm7♭5 is viiø7 in E♭ major. In minor keys it is iiø7 in C minor.
Chords close to Dm7♭5
- Dm7♭5 and Dm7 differ by one note: A♭ in Dm7♭5, A in Dm7. They share D, F and C. Dm7
Chords that share most of their notes with Dm7♭5: Fm6, B♭9, Ddim, Fm, C♯maj7, Dm7.
Every D chord
Dm7♭5 chord: questions
What notes are in the Dm7♭5 chord?
D, F, A♭ and C. Dm7♭5 is built 1–♭3–♭5–♭7 from D: F is the minor third, A♭ is the diminished fifth and C is the minor seventh.
How do you play Dm7♭5 on guitar?
The usual shape is x-x-0-1-1-1 (open). All 4 guitar shapes.
How do you play Dm7♭5 on piano?
Play D, F, A♭ and C with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-5. D sits between the two black keys. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play Dm7♭5 on ukulele?
1-2-1-3 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is Dm7♭5 in?
In major keys, Dm7♭5 is viiø7 in E♭ major. In minor keys it is iiø7 in C minor.
What's the difference between Dm7♭5 and Dm7?
Dm7♭5 and Dm7 differ by one note: A♭ in Dm7♭5, A in Dm7. They share D, F and C.
Every diagram on this page is generated from the notes D, F, A♭ and C and checked automatically so the sound matches the drawing. Updated September 2026.