B♭m7♭5 chord on piano
B♭m7♭5 is B♭, D♭, F♭ and A♭. You'll find B♭ on the last black key of the group of three. Play it once at full speed, then at a quarter to hear every note.
root position · B♭–D♭–F♭–A♭ · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- B♭ · D♭ · F♭ · A♭
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
How to play B♭m7♭5 on piano
Start on B♭, count 3 half steps up to D♭, 3 half steps up to F♭ then 4 half steps up to A♭. Those 4 keys are B♭m7♭5.
- Right hand: 1 on B♭, 2 on D♭, 3 on F♭ and 5 on A♭.
- Left hand: 5 on B♭, 3 on D♭, 2 on F♭ and 1 on A♭.
- On the keyboard it's black, black, white and black keys, the same pattern as D♯m7♭5, so your hand shape carries over.
B♭m7♭5 inversions
- root position: B♭–D♭–F♭–A♭. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: D♭–F♭–A♭–B♭ (D♭ in the bass). Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: F♭–A♭–B♭–D♭, F♭ lowest. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: A♭–B♭–D♭–F♭, with A♭ at the bottom. RH 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.
B♭m7♭5 chord changes
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 to E♭7: play E♭7 in 2nd inversion (B♭–D♭–E♭–G) and B♭ and D♭ stay under the same fingers, while F♭ moves down to E♭ and A♭ down to G. E♭7 on piano
- Bmaj7 (I in B major): B♭m7♭5 to Bmaj7: play Bmaj7 in 3rd inversion (A♯–B–D♯–F♯) and A♯ stays under the same finger, while D♭ moves down to B, F♭ down to D♯ and A♭ down to F♯. Bmaj7 on piano
- E♭m7 (iii in B major): B♭m7♭5 to E♭m7: play E♭m7 in 2nd inversion (B♭–D♭–E♭–G♭) and B♭ and D♭ stay under the same fingers, while F♭ moves down to E♭ and A♭ down to G♭. E♭m7 on piano
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 piano you hear it best with the keys pressed together, then rolled.
Practice B♭m7♭5 in two minutes
Play B♭m7♭5 broken, one key at a time: B♭, D♭, F♭, A♭, F♭, D♭, B♭. Then press the keys together and check that all 4 sound at the same volume. Finish with the inversions in order: B♭–D♭–F♭–A♭; D♭–F♭–A♭–B♭; F♭–A♭–B♭–D♭; A♭–B♭–D♭–F♭.
The keys of B♭m7♭5
B♭m7♭5 is a half-diminished chord, 1–♭3–♭5–♭7 from B♭. Root position, from the bottom: how B♭m7♭5 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| B♭ | black key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| D♭ | black key | RH 2 · LH 3 | minor third |
| F♭ | white key | RH 3 · LH 2 | diminished fifth |
| A♭ | black key | RH 5 · LH 1 | minor seventh |
You may also see it as A♯m7♭5; nothing changes on the piano.
Where B♭m7♭5 shows up
B♭m7♭5 on guitar and ukulele
Switching instruments? Try B♭m7♭5 on ukulele or B♭m7♭5 on guitar, or compare them on the B♭m7♭5 chord page.
Next to try on piano
Other half-diminished chords
B♭m7♭5 on piano: questions
What notes are in B♭m7♭5 on piano?
B♭, D♭, F♭ and A♭: B♭ (black key), D♭ (black key), F♭ (white key) and A♭ (black key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play B♭m7♭5 on piano?
Press B♭, D♭, F♭ and A♭ together (3 black, 1 white). Right hand: 1 on B♭, 2 on D♭, 3 on F♭ and 5 on A♭.
What are the inversions of B♭m7♭5?
1st inversion (D♭–F♭–A♭–B♭), 2nd inversion (F♭–A♭–B♭–D♭) and 3rd inversion (A♭–B♭–D♭–F♭), after root position (B♭–D♭–F♭–A♭). Each keeps all the notes of the chord.
What does B♭m7♭5 look like on the keyboard?
black, black, white and black keys, the same pattern as D♯m7♭5, so one hand shape covers all of them.
Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside B♭m7♭5. Updated September 2026.