Fm7♭5 chord on guitar

Fm7♭5 is F, A♭, C♭ and E♭. The usual shape is 1-2-1-1-0-x. Hit Play and watch each string light as it sounds.

How to play Fm7♭5 on guitar

Shape 1, 1-2-1-1-0-x, reading from the low E string on the left:

1. Put your index finger on the low E string at the 1st fret, which is F.
2. Put your middle finger on the D string at the 1st fret, which is E♭.
3. Put your ring finger on the G string at the 1st fret, which is A♭.
4. Put your pinky finger on the A string at the 2nd fret, which is C♭.
5. The open B string adds C♭; don't touch it.
6. Mute the high E string with the side of a finger so it doesn't ring.

• If an open string sounds dead, a fingertip is leaning on it. Come down more on the tips, with your knuckles bent.
• The pinky takes a note here. Keep it curved and close to the fretboard between chords so it has less distance to travel.

Other ways to play Fm7♭5

• 13-x-13-13-12-x: movable shape at the 12th fret, medium. Root on the 6th string: move it up or down and it names a different half-diminished chord.
• x-8-9-8-9-x: movable shape at the 8th fret, medium. Root on the 5th string, so it pairs well with the 6th-string shape a few frets away.

Moving between Fm7♭5 and its neighbours

Songs rarely hold Fm7♭5 for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.

• B♭7 (the iiø7 of a minor key heads to V7): Fm7♭5 (1-2-1-1-0-x) to B♭7 (x-1-3-1-3-1): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, your middle finger lands on the D string, 3rd fret, the ring finger goes to the B string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. Shared notes: F and A♭. B♭7 on guitar
• F♯maj7 (I in F♯ major): Fm7♭5 (1-2-1-1-0-x) to F♯maj7 (2-4-3-3-2-2): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 2nd fret, the middle finger goes to the D string, 3rd fret, your ring finger lands on the G string, 3rd fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. F carries over from one chord to the other. F♯maj7 on guitar
• B♭m7 (iii in F♯ major): Fm7♭5 (1-2-1-1-0-x) to B♭m7 (x-1-3-1-2-1): the index finger lays across the A to high E strings at the 1st fret, move the middle finger to the B string, 2nd fret, the ring finger goes to the D string, 3rd fret. No finger can stay, so practice lifting all of them together and landing the new shape as a unit. F and A♭ carry over from one chord to the other. B♭m7 on guitar

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. On guitar you hear it best picked slowly, string by string.

Practice Fm7♭5 in two minutes

Before strumming, play 1-2-1-1-0-x note by note: F then C♭ then E♭ then A♭ then C♭. A dead note tells you exactly which finger to fix. Next, alternate 1-2-1-1-0-x and 13-x-13-13-12-x, slowly, until the change takes less than a beat.

Fm7♭5 in context

• viiø7 in F♯ major
• iiø7 in E♭ minor

Fm7♭5 on piano and ukulele

The same notes on another instrument: Fm7♭5 on piano and Fm7♭5 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.

Related F chords on guitar

• Fdim
• Fm7
• Fdim7
• Fm6

Other half-diminished chords

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

Every shape above plays only F, A♭, C♭ and E♭, checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026. Print this chord