Fm7♭5 chord on piano
Fm7♭5 is F, A♭, C♭ and E♭. F sits just left of the group of three black keys. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.
root position · F–A♭–C♭–E♭ · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- F · A♭ · C♭ · E♭
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
How to play Fm7♭5 on piano
Count keys (black and white) from F: 3 half steps up to A♭, 3 half steps up to C♭ then 4 half steps up to E♭. Those 4 keys are Fm7♭5.
- Right hand: 1 on F, 2 on A♭, 3 on C♭ and 5 on E♭.
- Left hand: 5 on F, 3 on A♭, 2 on C♭ and 1 on E♭.
- On the keyboard it's white, black, white and black keys.
Fm7♭5 inversions
- root position: F–A♭–C♭–E♭. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: A♭–C♭–E♭–F, with A♭ at the bottom. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: C♭–E♭–F–A♭, with C♭ at the bottom. RH 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: E♭–F–A♭–C♭ (E♭ in the bass). Fingers 1-2-3-5.
Inversions keep the same notes and change which one is lowest. Moving between chords, pick the inversion that keeps your hand closest to where it already is.
Moving between Fm7♭5 and its neighbours
The chords Fm7♭5 usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.
- B♭7 (the iiø7 of a minor key heads to V7): Fm7♭5 to B♭7: play B♭7 in 2nd inversion (F–A♭–B♭–D) and F and A♭ stay under the same fingers, while C♭ moves down to B♭ and E♭ down to D. B♭7 on piano
- F♯maj7 (I in F♯ major): Fm7♭5 to F♯maj7: play F♯maj7 in 3rd inversion (E♯–F♯–A♯–C♯) and E♯ stays under the same finger, while A♭ moves down to F♯, C♭ down to A♯ and E♭ down to C♯. F♯maj7 on piano
- B♭m7 (iii in F♯ major): Fm7♭5 to B♭m7: play B♭m7 in 2nd inversion (F–A♭–B♭–D♭) and F and A♭ stay under the same fingers, while C♭ moves down to B♭ and E♭ down to D♭. B♭m7 on piano
Fm7♭5 is a half-diminished chord (minor seventh flat five). Fm7♭5 is the ii chord of a minor key, the first step of a minor ii–V–i. Play it solid and then broken to hear the difference.
Practice Fm7♭5 in two minutes
Roll the chord up and back down, F, A♭, C♭, E♭, C♭, A♭, F, before playing it as a block. Finish with the inversions in order: F–A♭–C♭–E♭; A♭–C♭–E♭–F; C♭–E♭–F–A♭; E♭–F–A♭–C♭.
The keys of Fm7♭5
Fm7♭5 is a half-diminished chord, 1–♭3–♭5–♭7 from F. Root position, from the bottom: how Fm7♭5 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| F | white key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| A♭ | black key | RH 2 · LH 3 | minor third |
| C♭ | white key | RH 3 · LH 2 | diminished fifth |
| E♭ | black key | RH 5 · LH 1 | minor seventh |
Where Fm7♭5 shows up
Fm7♭5 on guitar and ukulele
The same notes on another instrument: Fm7♭5 on guitar and Fm7♭5 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.
Close to Fm7♭5
Other half-diminished chords
Fm7♭5 on piano: questions
What notes are in Fm7♭5 on piano?
F, A♭, C♭ and E♭: F (white key), A♭ (black key), C♭ (white key) and E♭ (black key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play Fm7♭5 on piano?
Press F, A♭, C♭ and E♭ together (2 black, 2 white). Right hand: 1 on F, 2 on A♭, 3 on C♭ and 5 on E♭.
What are the inversions of Fm7♭5?
1st inversion (A♭–C♭–E♭–F), 2nd inversion (C♭–E♭–F–A♭) and 3rd inversion (E♭–F–A♭–C♭), after root position (F–A♭–C♭–E♭). Each keeps all the notes of the chord.
What does Fm7♭5 look like on the keyboard?
white, black, white and black keys.
Every shape above plays only F, A♭, C♭ and E♭, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.