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Cm7♭5 chord on guitar

Cm7♭5 (C half-diminished) is C, E♭, G♭ and B♭. The easiest way to play it is on four strings, written x3434x, with no barre. Put your 1st finger (index) on the 5th string, 3rd fret. Put your 2nd finger (middle) on the 3rd string, 3rd fret. Put your 3rd finger (ring) on the 4th string, 4th fret. Put your 4th finger (little) on the 2nd string, 4th fret. Don't play the 6th string: strum from the 5th. Mute the 1st string by letting a finger next to it touch it lightly.

Cm7♭5

C half-diminished · C E♭ G♭ B♭ · 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7

  • 3rd fret

    Root on the 5th string

    1324CG♭B♭E♭

    x3434x

  • 7th fret

    Root on the 6th string

    7fr2341CB♭E♭G♭

    8x887x

Or pick another chord to see and hear it

Root
Chord

Dots show where each finger goes, numbered 1 (index) to 4 (little); the green ones are C, the root.

How to play Cm7♭5

Strings are counted from the thinnest: the 1st is the high E and the 6th the low E. Each shape is written as tab from the 6th string to the 1st, a number for the fret to press, 0 for an open string and x for one not played.

  1. 1. Root on the 5th string · 3rd fret

    x3434x
    • Put your 1st finger (index) on the 5th string, 3rd fret.
    • Put your 2nd finger (middle) on the 3rd string, 3rd fret.
    • Put your 3rd finger (ring) on the 4th string, 4th fret.
    • Put your 4th finger (little) on the 2nd string, 4th fret.
    • Don't play the 6th string: strum from the 5th.
    • Mute the 1st string by letting a finger next to it touch it lightly.

  2. 2. Root on the 6th string · 7th fret

    8x887x
    • Put your 1st finger (index) on the 2nd string, 7th fret.
    • Put your 2nd finger (middle) on the 6th string, 8th fret.
    • Put your 3rd finger (ring) on the 4th string, 8th fret.
    • Put your 4th finger (little) on the 3rd string, 8th fret.
    • Mute the 5th and 1st strings by letting the fingers next to them touch them lightly.

Notes in the Cm7♭5 chord

Cm7♭5 is C, E♭, G♭ and B♭, and it sounds dark and jazzy, the minor key’s ii chord in jazz. From C, count 3 half steps up to E♭, 3 more to G♭ and 4 more to B♭. Its formula is 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7. The shapes above play these notes in different orders and octaves, some more than once, but always with C lowest. See its inversions and keys on the Cm7♭5 piano chord page.

Chords that often come after Cm7♭5

F7131211Cm7♭5 to F7 is iiø7 to V7, the minor key’s ii–V.D♭x46664Cm7♭5 is the viiø7 of D♭: up a half step to home.

More guitar chords

Other chords on C

CCmC7Cmaj7Cm7Csus2Csus4Cadd9C9C6CdimCdim7Caug

Half-diminished chords on other notes

C♯m7♭5Dm7♭5D♯m7♭5Em7♭5Fm7♭5F♯m7♭5Gm7♭5G♯m7♭5Am7♭5A♯m7♭5Bm7♭5

Or see every chord at once on the guitar chord chart.

Frequently asked questions

How do you play Cm7♭5 on guitar?

The easiest way to play it is on four strings, written x3434x, with no barre. Put your 1st finger (index) on the 5th string, 3rd fret. Put your 2nd finger (middle) on the 3rd string, 3rd fret. Put your 3rd finger (ring) on the 4th string, 4th fret. Put your 4th finger (little) on the 2nd string, 4th fret. Don't play the 6th string: strum from the 5th. Mute the 1st string by letting a finger next to it touch it lightly.

What notes are in the Cm7♭5 chord?

Cm7♭5 is C, E♭, G♭ and B♭. In the shape written x3434x, the 5th to 2nd strings play C, G♭, B♭ and E♭.

Is Cm7♭5 a barre chord?

No: none of its shapes here needs a barre.

How many ways can you play Cm7♭5 on guitar?

This page shows two: x3434x (3rd fret) and 8x887x (7th fret). Any chord can be played in more places up the neck; these are the ones chord books show first.

Can I make a beat with Cm7♭5?

Yes. “Make a beat in D♭ major” opens the free editor with a lo-fi beat in D♭ major on D♭ A♭ B♭m G♭, the key where Cm7♭5 is the viiø7 chord. Then change any part, add a melody and your voice, part by part. No account is needed to start.

Make a beat in D♭ major

Opens the free editor with a lo-fi beat in D♭ major on D♭ A♭ B♭m G♭, the key where Cm7♭5 is the viiø7 chord. Then change any part, add a melody and your voice, part by part. No account needed to start.

Make a beat in D♭ majorAll guitar chords

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