Bm7♭5

B1D♭3F♭5A♭7

A diminished triad with a minor seventh rather than a diminished one — half diminished, and not the same chord as dim7.

on guitar on piano the scale

Every fingering that fits a hand

Fig. 2

4210

easy

Fig. 3

4555

moderate

What is true of it

Bm7♭5 is B, D, F and A — 1, b3, b5 and b7 counted from B.

These are also the notes of Dm6/B. Which name is right depends on what is underneath and what came before — the notes alone do not decide.

The easiest of the 2 fingerings below is 4210: 3 fingers, held at the 1st fret.

None of them uses an open string, so this chord moves up the neck unchanged — the same shape 1 fret higher is the chord a semitone above.

Where its notes are on the neck

Fig. 4 — first 12 frets

The brass dots are B, the root. Everything else is a chord tone with its degree printed in it.

With a different note underneath

first inversion

Bm7♭5/D

7978

second inversion

Bm7♭5/F

abac

third inversion

Bm7♭5/A

2212

An inversion is the same chord with a different note lowest. The name changes to a slash name because the bass is what a listener hears as the foundation.

B in other shapes

B7dominant seventh Bmaj7major seventh Bm7minor seventh Bmajor Bmminor Bdimdiminished

Cm7♭5 C♯m7♭5 D♭m7♭5 Dm7♭5 D♯m7♭5 E♭m7♭5 Em7♭5 Fm7♭5 all 374