C♯m7♭5 chord on piano
C♯m7♭5 is C♯, E, G and B. C♯ sits on the black key between C and D. Play it once at full speed, then at a quarter to hear every note.
root position · C♯–E–G–B · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- C♯ · E · G · B
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
How to play C♯m7♭5 on piano
Start on C♯, count 3 half steps up to E, 3 half steps up to G then 4 half steps up to B. Press the 4 keys together and that's C♯m7♭5.
- Right hand: 1 on C♯, 2 on E, 3 on G and 5 on B.
- Left hand: 5 on C♯, 3 on E, 2 on G and 1 on B.
- On the keyboard it's black, white, white and white keys, the same pattern as F♯m7♭5, so your hand shape carries over.
C♯m7♭5 inversions
- root position: C♯–E–G–B. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: E–G–B–C♯, E lowest. RH 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: G–B–C♯–E, with G at the bottom. RH 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: B–C♯–E–G (B in the bass). Fingers 1-2-3-5.
Use the inversions to stay put: the next chord is often one inversion away from where your hand already is, as the changes below show.
Moving between C♯m7♭5 and its neighbours
The chords C♯m7♭5 usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.
- F♯7 (the iiø7 of a minor key heads to V7): C♯m7♭5 to F♯7: play F♯7 in 2nd inversion (C♯–E–F♯–A♯) and C♯ and E stay under the same fingers, while G moves down to F♯ and B down to A♯. F♯7 on piano
- Dmaj7 (I in D major): C♯m7♭5 to Dmaj7: play Dmaj7 in 3rd inversion (C♯–D–F♯–A) and C♯ stays under the same finger, while E moves down to D, G down to F♯ and B down to A. Dmaj7 on piano
- F♯m7 (iii in D major): C♯m7♭5 to F♯m7: play F♯m7 in 2nd inversion (C♯–E–F♯–A) and C♯ and E stay under the same fingers, while G moves down to F♯ and B down to A. F♯m7 on piano
C♯m7♭5 is a half-diminished chord (minor seventh flat five). C♯m7♭5 is the ii chord of a minor key, the first step of a minor ii–V–i. On piano you hear it best with the keys pressed together, then rolled.
A short C♯m7♭5 drill
Play C♯m7♭5 broken, one key at a time: C♯, E, G, B, G, E, C♯. Then press the keys together and check that all 4 sound at the same volume. Finish with the inversions in order: C♯–E–G–B; E–G–B–C♯; G–B–C♯–E; B–C♯–E–G.
The keys of C♯m7♭5
C♯m7♭5 is a half-diminished chord, 1–♭3–♭5–♭7 from C♯. Root position, from the bottom: how C♯m7♭5 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| C♯ | black key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| E | white key | RH 2 · LH 3 | minor third |
| G | white key | RH 3 · LH 2 | diminished fifth |
| B | white key | RH 5 · LH 1 | minor seventh |
Written D♭m7♭5, it's the same chord with the same keys.
Keys and progressions with C♯m7♭5
C♯m7♭5 on guitar and ukulele
Switching instruments? Try C♯m7♭5 on ukulele or C♯m7♭5 on guitar, or compare them on the C♯m7♭5 chord page.
Related C♯ chords on piano
Other half-diminished chords
C♯m7♭5 on piano: questions
What notes are in C♯m7♭5 on piano?
C♯, E, G and B: C♯ (black key), E (white key), G (white key) and B (white key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play C♯m7♭5 on piano?
Press C♯, E, G and B together (1 black, 3 white). Right hand: 1 on C♯, 2 on E, 3 on G and 5 on B.
What are the inversions of C♯m7♭5?
1st inversion (E–G–B–C♯), 2nd inversion (G–B–C♯–E) and 3rd inversion (B–C♯–E–G), after root position (C♯–E–G–B). Same notes, a different one at the bottom.
What does C♯m7♭5 look like on the keyboard?
black, white, white and white keys, the same pattern as F♯m7♭5, so one hand shape covers all of them.
Shapes and sound are generated from the notes C♯, E, G and B and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.