F# Half-diminished
F#m7b5
Notes
F# · A · C · E
Intervals
- RootF# (1P)
- Minor 3rdA (3m)
- Diminished 5thC (5d)
- Minor 7thE (7m)
Fretboard
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About
The F♯ half-diminished (F♯–A–C–E), also written F♯ø7, 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: F♯m7♭5 → B7 → Em. The C is the defining color tone — without it, the chord collapses to a plain F♯m7. 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 F♯dim7, m7♭5 is more grounded due to the natural (rather than doubly-flatted) seventh, giving it a somber but less frantic character.
Similar chords
Chords sharing two or more notes with this one, ranked by overlap.
Scales containing this chord
- F♯ Blues (deg 1)
- A Melodic Minor (VI)
- B♭ Diminished (deg 6)
- E Diminished (deg 2)
- E Harmonic Minor (II)
- E Natural Minor (II)
- G Diminished (deg 8)
- G Major (VII)
- G Melodic Minor (VII)
- F♯ Locrian (I)
- A Dorian (VI)
- B Phrygian (V)
- C Lydian (IV)
- D Mixolydian (III)
Scales whose notes include every chord tone. Roman numeral marks the chord root’s position in the scale; dashed badges aren’t linked yet.