A half-diminished (Am7b5) chord on mandolin

Looking for the Am7b5 chord on mandolin? It is a half-diminished seventh chord (a diminished triad plus a minor seventh), made of four notes: A – C – E♭ – G.

Dots show:

Basic shapemedium

Position 5medium

Position 7medium

Position 10medium

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 Am7b5 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 Am7b5 chord

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

How to play it – with fingering

Basic shape

String 1 (E): fret 3, little finger (G5)
String 2 (A): fret 3, ring finger (C5)
String 3 (D): fret 1, index finger (E♭4)
String 4 (G): fret 2, middle finger (A3)

Position 5

String 1 (E): fret 5, ring finger (A5)
String 2 (A): fret 6, little finger (E♭5)
String 3 (D): fret 5, middle finger (G4)
String 4 (G): fret 5, index finger (C4)

Position 7

String 1 (E): fret 8, ring finger (C6)
String 2 (A): fret 10, little finger (G5)
String 3 (D): fret 7, index finger (A4)
String 4 (G): fret 8, middle finger (E♭4)

Tuning: G D A E, like a violin; every note is a pair of strings that you fret together. In the diagram, × means the string is not played, and a circle means an open string.

Which keys is it in?

The Am7b5 chord is built from the notes of these keys (for minor keys, both the natural and the harmonic minor are considered):

B♭ major: viiø7
G minor: iiø7

Similar chords and substitutes

If Am7b5 is too hard, or you want a different colour in the same spot, these chords are worth a try.

Substitutes (by function)

F9 – a rootless dominant ninth: the same notes over a root a major third lower
D7 – the next chord in a minor ii–V–i (V)

Same notes

Cm6 – the same notes with a different root

Simpler versions

Adim – all 3 of its notes are in this chord

Frequently asked questions

What notes are in the Am7b5 chord?

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

What is the easiest way to play Am7b5 on mandolin?

The easiest shape above is “Basic shape”. We show 4 shapes, from open and easy versions to movable barre shapes higher up the neck.

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 Am7b5 chord written?

The chord symbol is Am7b5, and its full name is A half-diminished.