Am7♭5 chord on piano
Am7♭5 is A, C, E♭ and G. A sits between the last two black keys of the three. Hit Play and watch each key light as it sounds.
root position · A–C–E♭–G · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- A · C · E♭ · G
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
How to play Am7♭5 on piano
Start on A, count 3 half steps up to C, 3 half steps up to E♭ then 4 half steps up to G. Those 4 keys are Am7♭5.
- Right hand: 1 on A, 2 on C, 3 on E♭ and 5 on G.
- Left hand: 5 on A, 3 on C, 2 on E♭ and 1 on G.
- On the keyboard it's white, white, black and white keys, the same pattern as Dm7♭5 and Em7♭5, so your hand shape carries over.
Am7♭5 inversions
- root position: A–C–E♭–G. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: C–E♭–G–A (C in the bass). RH 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: E♭–G–A–C, with E♭ at the bottom. RH 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: G–A–C–E♭, G lowest. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
Nobody plays every chord in root position. The inversions let Am7♭5 sit wherever the previous chord left your hand.
Moving between Am7♭5 and its neighbours
Songs rarely hold Am7♭5 for long. Here's what your hand does on the moves that come up most.
- D7 (the iiø7 of a minor key heads to V7): Am7♭5 to D7: play D7 in 2nd inversion (A–C–D–F♯) and A and C stay under the same fingers, while E♭ moves down to D and G down to F♯. D7 on piano
- B♭maj7 (I in B♭ major): Am7♭5 to B♭maj7: play B♭maj7 in 3rd inversion (A–B♭–D–F) and A stays under the same finger, while C moves down to B♭, E♭ down to D and G down to F. B♭maj7 on piano
- Dm7 (iii in B♭ major): Am7♭5 to Dm7: play Dm7 in 2nd inversion (A–C–D–F) and A and C stay under the same fingers, while E♭ moves down to D and G down to F. Dm7 on piano
Am7♭5 is a half-diminished chord (minor seventh flat five). Am7♭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.
Practice Am7♭5 in two minutes
Start with a broken chord, A C E♭ G E♭ C A, then play it solid. Next, walk up through A–C–E♭–G → C–E♭–G–A → E♭–G–A–C → G–A–C–E♭ without lifting your eyes to your hand.
The keys of Am7♭5
Am7♭5 is a half-diminished chord, 1–♭3–♭5–♭7 from A. Root position, from the bottom: how Am7♭5 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | white key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| C | white key | RH 2 · LH 3 | minor third |
| E♭ | black key | RH 3 · LH 2 | diminished fifth |
| G | white key | RH 5 · LH 1 | minor seventh |
Am7♭5 in context
Am7♭5 on guitar and ukulele
Am7♭5 on guitar and ukulele uses the same 4 notes in a different layout. See all three together.
Related A chords on piano
Other half-diminished chords
Am7♭5 on piano: questions
What notes are in Am7♭5 on piano?
A, C, E♭ and G: A (white key), C (white key), E♭ (black key) and G (white key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play Am7♭5 on piano?
Press A, C, E♭ and G together (1 black, 3 white). Right hand: 1 on A, 2 on C, 3 on E♭ and 5 on G.
What are the inversions of Am7♭5?
1st inversion (C–E♭–G–A), 2nd inversion (E♭–G–A–C) and 3rd inversion (G–A–C–E♭), after root position (A–C–E♭–G). Each keeps all the notes of the chord.
What does Am7♭5 look like on the keyboard?
white, white, black and white keys, the same pattern as Dm7♭5 and Em7♭5, so one hand shape covers all of them.
Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside Am7♭5. Updated September 2026.