Em7♭5 chord on piano
Em7♭5 is E, G, B♭ and D. E sits just right of the pair of black keys. Hit Play and watch each key light as it sounds.
root position · E–G–B♭–D · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- E · G · B♭ · D
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
How to play Em7♭5 on piano
Start on E, count 3 half steps up to G, 3 half steps up to B♭ then 4 half steps up to D. That's the whole chord: 4 keys.
- Right hand: 1 on E, 2 on G, 3 on B♭ and 5 on D.
- Left hand: 5 on E, 3 on G, 2 on B♭ and 1 on D.
- On the keyboard it's white, white, black and white keys, the same pattern as Dm7♭5 and Am7♭5, so your hand shape carries over.
Em7♭5 inversions
- root position: E–G–B♭–D. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: G–B♭–D–E, with G at the bottom. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: B♭–D–E–G, B♭ lowest. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: D–E–G–B♭ (D in the bass). 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.
Em7♭5 chord changes
These are the changes you'll meet most often with Em7♭5, using the first shape of each chord.
- A7 (the iiø7 of a minor key heads to V7): Em7♭5 to A7: play A7 in 2nd inversion (E–G–A–C♯) and E and G stay under the same fingers, while B♭ moves down to A and D down to C♯. A7 on piano
- Fmaj7 (I in F major): Em7♭5 to Fmaj7: play Fmaj7 in 3rd inversion (E–F–A–C) and E stays under the same finger, while G moves down to F, B♭ down to A and D down to C. Fmaj7 on piano
- Am7 (iii in F major): Em7♭5 to Am7: play Am7 in 2nd inversion (E–G–A–C) and E and G stay under the same fingers, while B♭ moves down to A and D down to C. Am7 on piano
Em7♭5 is a half-diminished chord (minor seventh flat five). Em7♭5 is the ii chord of a minor key, the first step of a minor ii–V–i. The one-by-one button above makes that quality easy to hear.
Practice Em7♭5 in two minutes
Start with a broken chord, E G B♭ D B♭ G E, then play it solid. Next, walk up through E–G–B♭–D → G–B♭–D–E → B♭–D–E–G → D–E–G–B♭ without lifting your eyes to your hand.
The keys of Em7♭5
Em7♭5 is a half-diminished chord, 1–♭3–♭5–♭7 from E. Root position, from the bottom: how Em7♭5 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| E | white key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| G | white key | RH 2 · LH 3 | minor third |
| B♭ | black key | RH 3 · LH 2 | diminished fifth |
| D | white key | RH 5 · LH 1 | minor seventh |
Keys and progressions with Em7♭5
Em7♭5 on guitar and ukulele
The same notes on another instrument: Em7♭5 on guitar and Em7♭5 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.
Next to try on piano
Other half-diminished chords
Em7♭5 on piano: questions
What notes are in Em7♭5 on piano?
E, G, B♭ and D: E (white key), G (white key), B♭ (black key) and D (white key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play Em7♭5 on piano?
Press E, G, B♭ and D together (1 black, 3 white). Right hand: 1 on E, 2 on G, 3 on B♭ and 5 on D.
What are the inversions of Em7♭5?
1st inversion (G–B♭–D–E), 2nd inversion (B♭–D–E–G) and 3rd inversion (D–E–G–B♭), after root position (E–G–B♭–D). Each keeps all the notes of the chord.
What does Em7♭5 look like on the keyboard?
white, white, black and white keys, the same pattern as Dm7♭5 and Am7♭5, so one hand shape covers all of them.
Shapes and sound are generated from the notes E, G, B♭ and D and tested automatically. Updated September 2026.