Bm7b5 is a minor seventh chord with its fifth pushed down a half step: B, D, F and A. You will see it written Bm7b5, Bm7(b5), Bm7-5 or Bø7, and all of them mean the same four notes. On its own it sounds unsettled. In a progression it has one clear job: to set up E7, which then falls into A minor. Learn it on the shape x2323x and you have the whole family, because that grip moves anywhere on the neck.
Bm7b5 chord: notes and shapes at a glance
- Name: B half-diminished (minor seventh flat five)
- Symbol: Bm7b5
- Notes: B, D, F, A
- Where it belongs: viim7b5 in C major, iim7b5 in A minor
Each shape below is written from the thickest string to the thinnest: a
number is the fret, 0 an open string, x a string you
do not play. New to this? See how to read chord diagrams.
| Shape | Frets, low E to high E | Notes, low to high | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bm7b5, top four strings | xx0201 | D A B F | Two fingers and two open strings. All four notes, with D as the lowest: a light, easy version. |
| Bm7b5, open | x20201 | B D A B F | The same plus B on the fifth string, so the chord stands on its root. |
| Bm7b5, movable | x2323x | B F A D | The standard grip, no open strings. Slide it anywhere: the lowest note names the chord. |
| Bm7b5, sixth string root | 7x776x | B A D F | B on the low E, fifth string muted. The jazz voicing for ii V i on the bass strings. |
Read each diagram from the thickest string on the left to the thinnest on the right. A cross means the string is not played, a circle means it rings open.
Bm7b5 on the neck: every B, D, F, A
Standard tuning, frets 0 to 12. The highlighted notes are the notes of Bm7b5: any shape you build from them, anywhere on the neck, is still Bm7b5.
From Bm7 to Bm7b5: one note
The name tells you how to build it. Start from Bm7 and lower the fifth.
| Chord | Notes | Shape |
|---|---|---|
| Bm7 | B, D, F#, A | x24232 |
| Bm7b5 | B, D, F, A | x2323x |
| Bdim7 | B, D, F, Ab | not on this page |
Between Bm7 and Bm7b5, the D string goes from fret 4 (F#) to fret 3 (F). Play the two shapes one after the other and listen to that half step: the chord loses its footing. That is the sound you are looking for.
What Bm7b5 does: the minor ii V i
In A minor, the chord built on the second degree is Bm7b5. It leads to E7, the dominant, which resolves to A minor. That three chord move is the minor key version of the ii V I, and it is everywhere in jazz, bossa nova, latin music and ballads.
| Version | Shapes | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Open position | x2323x, 020100, x02210 | Bm7b5, E7, Am. The first finger lands at fret 1 for both E7 and Am. |
| Bass strings, one zone | 7x776x, 7x675x, 5x555x | Bm7b5, E7 with B in the bass, Am7. Barely any movement: the voices slide by a fret or two. |
| Easy open | x20201, 020100, x02210 | Same cadence with open strings, for a softer sound. |
In C major, Bm7b5 sits on the seventh degree and pulls toward C, but it is rarer there than in A minor. See E7 and A minor for the other two chords of the cadence.
One shape, every root
x2323x has no open strings, so it moves as a block. The note under the first finger, on the fifth string, names the chord.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Bm7b5 on guitar?
What notes are in Bm7b5?
What do m7b5, m7-5 and ø mean?
What is the difference between Bm7 and Bm7b5?
What is the difference between Bm7b5 and Bdim7?
Where is Bm7b5 used?
Who made this
Guitar Social Club is the work of Yohann Abbou, a guitar teacher in Paris who teaches adults. Every shape on this page is written string by string and checked against standard tuning, and the diagrams are drawn from those same fret numbers. The rest of our free guitar tools, including the chord finder, work the same way.
More about Yohann on his page, and about why Guitar Social Club exists.