B♭m7♭5 Chord

The B♭m7♭5 chord is a half-diminished chord built on the root note B♭. Its notes are B♭, D♭, E and A♭. It is enharmonically the same chord as A♯m7♭5.

Half-diminished chords (m7♭5) sit between a diminished triad and a minor seventh. They are the signature ii chord in minor keys and show up constantly in jazz standards and moody ballads.

B♭m7♭5 on piano

Piano diagram of the B♭m7♭5 chordEED♭A♭B♭D♭A♭B♭B♭m7♭5 — B♭ · D♭ · E · A♭

To play B♭m7♭5 on piano, place your right-hand thumb on B♭, middle finger on D♭, and little finger on E. Press all keys at the same time and listen for a clear, balanced sound. Practice switching to and from this chord slowly, then with a metronome at a comfortable tempo.

B♭m7♭5 on guitar

Guitar chord diagram of the B♭m7♭5 chord6frB♭m7♭5

On guitar, B♭m7♭5 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. If the chord contains barred notes, keep your index finger flat across the fretboard and curve the other fingers so they do not mute the open strings. Strum only the strings marked as active in the diagram for the cleanest tone.

Play the chord

B♭m7♭5
B♭ · D♭ · E · A♭

B♭m7♭5 chord notes

Formula: 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7Notes: B♭ · D♭ · E · A♭Also known as: A♯m7♭5
DegreeIntervalSemitonesNote
1Root0B♭(Bb)
♭3Minor third3D♭(Db)
♭5Tritone6E
♭7Minor seventh10A♭(Ab)

How to use the B♭m7♭5 chord

The B♭m7♭5 chord is built from a root, a minor third, a diminished fifth and a minor seventh. Starting from the root B♭, stack the intervals to get the complete chord: B♭, D♭, E and A♭. Learning the formula is the fastest way to transpose the chord to any other key.

Half-diminished chords are most common in jazz standards. They frequently act as the iiø of a minor ii-V-i, a gateway into the dominant chord that resolves to a minor tonic.

Common progressions

The B♭m7♭5 chord works beautifully in these progressions. Click a chord name to jump to its page.

Leading-tone resolution
vii° → I
B♭°B
Minor ii-V-i
ii° → V → i
B♭°E♭7A♭m
Chromatic passing chord
I → vii° → vi
BB♭°A♭m

Related chords to B♭m7♭5

Once you are comfortable with B♭m7♭5, explore neighbouring chords to unlock new progressions. The chords below share notes, keys or functions with B♭m7♭5 and are a natural next step in your practice.

Cm7♭5
C · D♯ · F♯ · A♯
C♯m7♭5
C♯ · E · G · B
Dm7♭5
D · F · G♯ · C
E♭m7♭5
E♭ · G♭ · A · D♭
B♭ Major
B♭ · D · F
B♭ Minor
B♭ · D♭ · F
B♭7
B♭ · D · F · A♭
B♭maj7
B♭ · D · F · A
Fm7♭5
F · A♭ · B · E♭

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the B♭m7♭5 chord?
The B♭m7♭5 chord contains B♭, D♭, E and A♭ (Bb, Db, E and Ab in plain text).
Is the B♭m7♭5 chord major or minor?
B♭m7♭5 is a half-diminished chord. Half-diminished chords (m7♭5) sit between a diminished triad and a minor seventh. They are the signature ii chord in minor keys and show up constantly in jazz standards and moody ballads.
How do you play B♭m7♭5 on piano?
Place your fingers on B♭, D♭, E and A♭ and play the notes together. On piano, the root is usually played with the little finger of the left hand and the upper notes with the right hand.
How do you play B♭m7♭5 on guitar?
B♭m7♭5 is typically played using the fingering shown in the interactive diagram above. You can also try an open position if one of the chord tones lines up with an open string.
What is another name for the B♭m7♭5 chord?
B♭m7♭5 is enharmonically equivalent to A♯m7♭5. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.

Keep exploring

Deepen your understanding of the B♭m7♭5 chord with our other music theory tools.

Browse all chordsTry the PianoOpen Circle of Fifths