F♯m7♭5 chord on piano
F♯m7♭5 is F♯, A, C and E. F♯ sits on the first black key of the group of three. Hit Play and watch each key light as it sounds.
root position · F♯–A–C–E · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- F♯ · A · C · E
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
How to play F♯m7♭5 on piano
Start on F♯, count 3 half steps up to A, 3 half steps up to C then 4 half steps up to E. That's the whole chord: 4 keys.
- Right hand: 1 on F♯, 2 on A, 3 on C and 5 on E.
- Left hand: 5 on F♯, 3 on A, 2 on C and 1 on E.
- On the keyboard it's black, white, white and white keys, the same pattern as C♯m7♭5, so your hand shape carries over.
F♯m7♭5 inversions
- root position: F♯–A–C–E. Right hand 1-2-3-5.
- 1st inversion: A–C–E–F♯, A lowest. Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 2nd inversion: C–E–F♯–A (C in the bass). Fingers 1-2-3-5.
- 3rd inversion: E–F♯–A–C, with E at the bottom. RH 1-2-3-5.
Use the inversions to stay put: the next chord is often one inversion away from where your hand already is, as the changes below show.
Changing from F♯m7♭5 to the chords around it
These are the changes you'll meet most often with F♯m7♭5, using the first shape of each chord.
- B7 (the iiø7 of a minor key heads to V7): F♯m7♭5 to B7: play B7 in 2nd inversion (F♯–A–B–D♯) and F♯ and A stay under the same fingers, while C moves down to B and E down to D♯. B7 on piano
- Gmaj7 (I in G major): F♯m7♭5 to Gmaj7: play Gmaj7 in 3rd inversion (F♯–G–B–D) and F♯ stays under the same finger, while A moves down to G, C down to B and E down to D. Gmaj7 on piano
- Bm7 (iii in G major): F♯m7♭5 to Bm7: play Bm7 in 2nd inversion (F♯–A–B–D) and F♯ and A stay under the same fingers, while C moves down to B and E down to D. Bm7 on piano
F♯m7♭5 is a half-diminished chord (minor seventh flat five). F♯m7♭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 F♯m7♭5 in two minutes
Start with a broken chord, F♯ A C E C A F♯, then play it solid. Next, walk up through F♯–A–C–E → A–C–E–F♯ → C–E–F♯–A → E–F♯–A–C without lifting your eyes to your hand.
The keys of F♯m7♭5
F♯m7♭5 is a half-diminished chord, 1–♭3–♭5–♭7 from F♯. Root position, from the bottom: how F♯m7♭5 is built.
| Note | Key | Fingers | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| F♯ | black key | RH 1 · LH 5 | root |
| A | white key | RH 2 · LH 3 | minor third |
| C | white key | RH 3 · LH 2 | diminished fifth |
| E | white key | RH 5 · LH 1 | minor seventh |
You may also see it as G♭m7♭5; nothing changes on the piano.
F♯m7♭5 in context
F♯m7♭5 on guitar and ukulele
The same notes on another instrument: F♯m7♭5 on guitar and F♯m7♭5 on ukulele. This page puts all three side by side.
Related F♯ chords on piano
Other half-diminished chords
F♯m7♭5 on piano: questions
What notes are in F♯m7♭5 on piano?
F♯, A, C and E: F♯ (black key), A (white key), C (white key) and E (white key). Right hand 1-2-3-5, left hand 5-3-2-1.
How do you play F♯m7♭5 on piano?
Press F♯, A, C and E together (1 black, 3 white). Right hand: 1 on F♯, 2 on A, 3 on C and 5 on E.
What are the inversions of F♯m7♭5?
1st inversion (A–C–E–F♯), 2nd inversion (C–E–F♯–A) and 3rd inversion (E–F♯–A–C), after root position (F♯–A–C–E). Only the lowest note changes.
What does F♯m7♭5 look like on the keyboard?
black, white, white and white keys, the same pattern as C♯m7♭5, so one hand shape covers all of them.
Checked automatically: no shape here plays a note outside F♯m7♭5. Updated September 2026.