Em7♭5 Chord

The Em7♭5 chord is a half-diminished chord built on the root note E. Its notes are E, G, A♯ and D.

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.

Em7♭5 on piano

Piano diagram of the Em7♭5 chordDEGDEGA♯A♯Em7♭5 — E · G · A♯ · D

To play Em7♭5 on piano, place your right-hand thumb on E, middle finger on G, and little finger on A♯. 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.

Em7♭5 on guitar

Guitar chord diagram of the Em7♭5 chordEm7♭5

On guitar, Em7♭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

Em7♭5
E · G · A♯ · D

Em7♭5 chord notes

Formula: 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7Notes: E · G · A♯ · D
DegreeIntervalSemitonesNote
1Root0E
♭3Minor third3G
♭5Tritone6A♯(A#)
♭7Minor seventh10D

How to use the Em7♭5 chord

The Em7♭5 chord is built from a root, a minor third, a diminished fifth and a minor seventh. Starting from the root E, stack the intervals to get the complete chord: E, G, A♯ and D. 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 Em7♭5 chord works beautifully in these progressions. Click a chord name to jump to its page.

Leading-tone resolution
vii° → I
E°F
Minor ii-V-i
ii° → V → i
E°A7Dm
Chromatic passing chord
I → vii° → vi
FE°Dm

Related chords to Em7♭5

Once you are comfortable with Em7♭5, explore neighbouring chords to unlock new progressions. The chords below share notes, keys or functions with Em7♭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♭
E Major
E · G♯ · B
E Minor
E · G · B
E7
E · G♯ · B · D
Emaj7
E · G♯ · B · D♯
Bm7♭5
B · D · F · A
Am7♭5
A · C · D♯ · G

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Em7♭5 chord?
The Em7♭5 chord contains E, G, A♯ and D (E, G, A# and D in plain text).
Is the Em7♭5 chord major or minor?
Em7♭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 Em7♭5 on piano?
Place your fingers on E, G, A♯ and D 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 Em7♭5 on guitar?
Em7♭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 chords work well with Em7♭5?
Em7♭5 pairs naturally with the chords listed in the related chords section. Chords a perfect fifth up or down, relative major or minor chords, and chords sharing two notes are all strong choices.

Keep exploring

Deepen your understanding of the Em7♭5 chord with our other music theory tools.

Browse all chordsTry the PianoOpen Circle of Fifths