E half-diminished (Em7b5) chord on guitar

Looking for the Em7b5 chord on guitar? It is a half-diminished seventh chord (a diminished triad plus a minor seventh), made of four notes: E – G – B♭ – D.

Dots show:

Open positioneasy

D shape, fret 2medium

Position 3medium

Position 5medium

A shape, fret 7medium

E shape, fret 12hard

Tap a string on a diagram to hear just that string. The sound is generated in your browser with a physical string model.

Chord finder Transposer Tuner

What the Em7b5 chord sounds like

The half-diminished (m7b5) chord is a diminished triad with a minor seventh. In a minor key it sits on degree ii – the first chord of the minor ii–V–i.

Notes of the Em7b5 chord

Degree	Note	Interval from the root
1	E	root
3	G	minor third (3 semitones)
5	B♭	diminished fifth (6 semitones)
7	D	minor seventh (10 semitones)

How to play it – with fingering

Open position

String 1 (e): open (E4)
String 2 (B): fret 3, little finger (D4)
String 3 (G): open (G3)
String 4 (D): fret 2, middle finger (E3)
String 5 (A): fret 1, index finger (B♭2)
String 6 (E): open (E2)

D shape, fret 2

String 1 (e): fret 3, little finger (G4)
String 2 (B): fret 3, ring finger (D4)
String 3 (G): fret 3, middle finger (B♭3)
String 4 (D): fret 2, index finger (E3)
String 5 (A): not played
String 6 (E): not played

Position 3

String 1 (e): open (E4)
String 2 (B): fret 5, little finger (E4)
String 3 (G): fret 3, index finger (B♭3)
String 4 (D): fret 5, ring finger (G3)
String 5 (A): fret 5, ring finger (D3)
String 6 (E): open (E2)

The “C, A, G, E and D shapes” are the CAGED system: you slide the shape of the open C, A, G, E or D chord up the neck and your index finger (a barre) takes over the job of the nut. That way the same chord can be played in five places, anywhere on the fretboard.

Tuning: E A D G B E (low to high). String 6 is the thickest, the low E. In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Playing Em7b5 with a capo

A capo clamps all the strings at one fret, so a familiar open shape sounds higher. You can also get a Em7b5 chord with these open shapes:

Capo: fret 2
shape: Dm7b5

Capo: fret 5
shape: Bm7b5

Capo: fret 7
shape: Am7b5

Rework a whole song for a capo: chord transposer →

Which keys is it in?

The Em7b5 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

F major: viiø7
D minor: iiø7

Similar chords and substitutes

If Em7b5 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

C9 – a rootless dominant ninth: the same notes over a root a major third lower
A7 – the next chord in a minor ii–V–i (V)

Same notes

Gm6 – the same notes with a different root

Simpler versions

Edim – all 3 of its notes are in this chord

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Em7b5 chord?

E, G, B♭, D. The root is E; the intervals of the other notes from the root: minor third, diminished fifth, minor seventh.

What is the easiest way to play Em7b5 on guitar?

The easiest shape above is “Open position”, rated easy. We show 6 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck. With a capo you can also play it as a Dm7b5 shape at fret 2 or a Bm7b5 shape at fret 5.

How do I read the chord diagram?

Strings run from the lowest (left) to the highest (right) – tick “Left-handed” to mirror it. Rows are frets; a number at the side shows the starting fret. Dots are fingers (1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little), a long bar is a barre, × means don't play that string and ○ means play it open.

How is the Em7b5 chord written?

The chord symbol is Em7b5, and its full name is E half-diminished.