E Half-diminished
Em7♭5
Notes
E · G · B♭ · D
Intervals
- RootE (1P)
- Minor 3rdG (3m)
- Diminished 5thB♭ (5d)
- Minor 7thD (7m)
Fretboard
Adjust labels, frets, and palette in the interactive view.
Voicings & shapes
Drop-2 voicings (12)
Drop-3 voicings (8)
About
The E half-diminished (E–G–B♭–D), also written Eø7, is the naturally occurring chord on the seventh degree of a major scale and on the second degree of a natural minor scale. Its primary role in jazz is as the ii chord in a minor ii–V–i: Em7♭5 → A7 → Dm. The B♭ is the defining color tone — without it, the chord collapses to a plain Em7. The 3rd and ♭7 together establish the minor seventh quality. On guitar, the fifth is essential and should not be omitted, since the ♭5 is precisely what distinguishes this chord. Compared to Edim7, m7♭5 is more grounded due to the natural (rather than doubly-flatted) seventh, giving it a somber but less frantic character.
Chord diagrams
E Half-diminished voicing charts — tap a sheet to open it full size to save or print.
Similar chords
Chords sharing two or more notes with this one, ranked by overlap.
Scales containing this chord
- E Blues (deg 1)
- E Locrian (I)
- A Phrygian (V)
- A♭ Diminished (deg 6)
- B Diminished (deg 4)
- B Harmonic Minor (IV)
- B♭ Lydian (IV)
- C Mixolydian (III)
- D Diminished (deg 2)
- D Harmonic Minor (II)
- D Natural Minor (II)
- F Diminished (deg 8)
- F Major (VII)
- F Melodic Minor (VII)
- G Dorian (VI)
- G Melodic Minor (VI)
Scales whose notes include every chord tone. The Roman numeral (or scale degree) marks the chord root’s position in the scale.