Cm7♭5 chord on guitar

Cm7♭5 is C, E♭, G♭ and B♭. The usual shape is x-3-4-3-4-x. Press Play to hear it, then try it at half speed.

x-3-4-3-4-x · movable · medium

Notes: C · E♭ · G♭ · B♭
Formula: 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
First shape: x-3-4-3-4-x

How to play Cm7♭5 on guitar

Shape 1, x-3-4-3-4-x, reading from the low E string on the left, starts at the 3rd fret:

Index finger: A string, 3rd fret (C).
Middle finger: G string, 3rd fret (B♭).
Ring finger: D string, 4th fret (G♭).
Pinky: B string, 4th fret (E♭).
Keep the low E and high E strings quiet by touching them lightly with a fretting finger.

Your little finger has a job in this shape; it gets stronger in a week or two of short daily practice.
Only four strings sound, so strum from the string marked first and aim your pick at the treble strings.

Other ways to play Cm7♭5

8-x-8-8-7-x: movable shape at the 7th fret, medium. The root is on the low E string, so you can slide this shape to play any half-diminished chord.
x-x-10-11-11-11: movable shape at the 10th fret, medium. Only the thinner strings sound, which cuts through a band without getting muddy.
x-15-13-15-13-14: partial barre shape at the 13th fret, medium. A high voicing for when the low version is taken by another instrument.

Cm7♭5 chord changes

The chords Cm7♭5 usually goes to, and what changes under your fingers.

F7 (the iiø7 of a minor key heads to V7): Cm7♭5 (x-3-4-3-4-x) to F7 (1-3-1-2-1-1): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 2nd fret, move the ring finger to the A string, 3rd fret. Nothing carries over, so drill it slowly, lifting and landing all fingers at once. C and E♭ carry over from one chord to the other. F7 on guitar
C♯maj7 (I in D♭ major): Cm7♭5 (x-3-4-3-4-x) to C♯maj7 (x-4-6-5-6-4): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 4th fret, move the middle finger to the G string, 5th fret, the ring finger goes to the D string, 6th fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. C carries over from one chord to the other. C♯maj7 on guitar
Fm7 (iii in D♭ major): Cm7♭5 (x-3-4-3-4-x) to Fm7 (1-3-1-1-1-1): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 1st fret, the middle finger goes to the A string, 3rd fret. The two chords share C and E♭, which is why the change sounds smooth. Fm7 on guitar

Cm7♭5 is a half-diminished chord (minor seventh flat five). Cm7♭5 is the ii chord of a minor key, the first step of a minor ii–V–i. The slow arpeggio button above makes that quality easy to hear.

A short Cm7♭5 drill

Pick shape 1 one string at a time, low to high: C, G♭, B♭, E♭. Every note should ring clearly; if one thuds, adjust that finger before you strum. Then switch to 8-x-8-8-7-x and back four times without looking at your hand.

Where Cm7♭5 shows up

Cm7♭5 on piano and ukulele

Switching instruments? Try Cm7♭5 on ukulele or Cm7♭5 on piano, or compare them on the Cm7♭5 chord page.

Next to try on guitar

Other half-diminished chords

Cm7♭5 on guitar: questions

What notes are in Cm7♭5 on guitar?

C, E♭, G♭ and B♭. In the x-3-4-3-4-x shape the strings play C (A string), G♭ (D string), B♭ (G string) and E♭ (B string).

What's the easiest way to play Cm7♭5 on guitar?

Cm7♭5 has no open-string shape in standard tuning, so every version needs a barre or a stretch. Start with x-3-4-3-4-x. It uses 4 fingers and no barre, and in many songs a capo can take over part of the work.

Is Cm7♭5 a barre chord on guitar?

Not the usual shape: x-3-4-3-4-x needs no barre.

Which string does Cm7♭5 start on?

In the x-3-4-3-4-x shape the lowest string you play is the A string at the 3rd fret, which is C, the root. Skip the low E and high E strings.

Shapes and sound are generated from the notes C, E♭, G♭ and B♭ and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.