B♭m7♭5 chord on guitar

B♭m7♭5 is B♭, D♭, F♭ and A♭. The usual shape is x-1-2-1-2-x. Tap Play, then slow it down.

How to play B♭m7♭5 on guitar

Shape 1, x-1-2-1-2-x, reading from the low E string on the left:

1. Put your index finger on the A string at the 1st fret, which is B♭.
2. Put your middle finger on the G string at the 1st fret, which is A♭.
3. Put your ring finger on the D string at the 2nd fret, which is F♭.
4. Put your pinky finger on the B string at the 2nd fret, which is D♭.
5. Mute the low E and high E strings with the side of a finger so they don't ring.

• This shape uses your pinky. It feels weak at first; press with the tip and let the finger stay curved.
• With four strings sounding, a shorter strum works best: start on the first played string and stop at the high E.

Other ways to play B♭m7♭5

• 6-x-6-6-5-x: movable shape at the 5th fret, medium. Root on the 6th string: move it up or down and it names a different half-diminished chord.
• x-13-14-13-14-x: movable shape at the 13th fret, medium. Root on the 5th string, so it pairs well with the 6th-string shape a few frets away.
• x-x-8-9-9-9: movable shape at the 8th fret, medium. A small shape for quick changes and a lighter sound.

Moving between B♭m7♭5 and its neighbours

Songs rarely hold B♭m7♭5 for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.

• E♭7 (the iiø7 of a minor key heads to V7): B♭m7♭5 (x-1-2-1-2-x) to E♭7 (x-x-1-3-2-3): the index finger slides across to the D string at the same fret, your middle finger lands on the B string, 2nd fret, move the ring finger to the G string, 3rd fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. B♭ and D♭ carry over from one chord to the other. E♭7 on guitar
• Bmaj7 (I in B major): B♭m7♭5 (x-1-2-1-2-x) to Bmaj7 (x-2-4-3-4-2): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 2nd fret, the middle finger goes to the G string, 3rd fret, move the ring finger to the D string, 4th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Shared note: B♭. Bmaj7 on guitar
• E♭m7 (iii in B major): B♭m7♭5 (x-1-2-1-2-x) to E♭m7 (x-x-1-3-2-2): the index finger slides across to the D string at the same fret, your middle finger lands on the B string, 2nd fret, the ring finger goes to the high E string, 2nd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. The two chords share B♭ and D♭, which is why the change sounds smooth. E♭m7 on guitar

B♭m7♭5 is a half-diminished chord (minor seventh flat five). B♭m7♭5 is the ii chord of a minor key, the first step of a minor ii–V–i. On guitar you hear it best picked slowly, string by string.

A short B♭m7♭5 drill

Before strumming, play x-1-2-1-2-x note by note: B♭ then F♭ then A♭ then D♭. A dead note tells you exactly which finger to fix. Finish by moving between x-1-2-1-2-x and 6-x-6-6-5-x to learn two positions of the same chord.

You may also see it as A♯m7♭5; nothing changes on the guitar.

B♭m7♭5 in context

• viiø7 in B major
• iiø7 in G♯ minor

B♭m7♭5 on piano and ukulele

Switching instruments? Try B♭m7♭5 on ukulele or B♭m7♭5 on piano, or compare them on the B♭m7♭5 chord page.

Next to try on guitar

• B♭dim
• B♭m7
• A♯dim7
• B♭m6

Other half-diminished chords

• Cm7♭5
• C♯m7♭5
• Dm7♭5
• D♯m7♭5
• Em7♭5
• Fm7♭5
• F♯m7♭5
• Gm7♭5
• G♯m7♭5
• Am7♭5
• Bm7♭5

Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside B♭m7♭5. Updated September 2026. Print this chord