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Learn › E Flat Half-Diminished Chord on Piano (Ebm7b5)

New Released in April 2026

E Flat Half-Diminished Chord on Piano (Ebm7b5)

The E flat half-diminished 7th chord (Ebm7b5) on the piano has four notes: Eb, Gb, Bbb, Db. It is an Ebdim triad with a minor seventh, Db, on top. Formula 1 b3 b5 b7. Below: the four positions, fingering, a three-note voicing and where Ebm7b5 goes next.

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Ebm7b5 Eb Gb Bbb Db

Four ways to play Ebm7b5

Move Eb up an octave for the 1st inversion, then Gb for the 2nd, then Bbb for the 3rd.

Ebm7b5 Eb Gb Bbb Db

Root position: Eb Gb Bbb Db

Ebm7b5 Gb Bbb Db Eb

1st inversion: Gb Bbb Db Eb

Ebm7b5 Bbb Db Eb Gb

2nd inversion: Bbb Db Eb Gb

Ebm7b5 Db Eb Gb Bbb

3rd inversion: Db Eb Gb Bbb

How to play Ebm7b5 on the piano

HandEbGbBbbDb
Right hand1 (thumb)235 (little)
Left hand5 (little)321 (thumb)

Land all four fingers at once. If Db is quieter, the little finger is too flat.

The light version of Ebm7b5

Ebm7b5 Eb Bbb Db

Here keep the flat fifth: Eb Bbb Db, root, b5 and seventh. The b5 is what separates Ebm7b5 from Ebm7, so the third is the note to leave out.

Ebm7b5 compared with the other 7th chords on Eb

Same root, same fifth: watch the third and the seventh.

ChordNotesWhat changes
Eb7 Eb G Bb Dbmajor 3rd, minor 7th
Ebmaj7 Eb G Bb Dmajor 3rd, major 7th
Ebm7 Eb Gb Bb Dbminor 3rd, minor 7th
Ebm7b5 Eb Gb Bbb Dbminor 3rd, flat 5th, minor 7th
Ebdim7 Eb Gb Bbb Dbbminor 3rd, flat 5th, 7th one key lower again

Ebm7b5 in keys and progressions

  • Ebm7b5 is the iiø7 of C# minor (as D#m7b5) and the viiø7 of E major (as D#m7b5).
  • In a minor ii-V-i it opens the cadence: Ebm7b5 (D#m7b5) → G#7 → C#m.
  • Ebm7b5 has the same notes as Gbm6 (Gb Bbb Db Eb): with Eb in the bass it is Ebm7b5, with Gb in the bass it is Gbm6.

ii-V-i: Ebm7b5 (D#m7b5) → G#7 → C#m

A 5-minute Ebm7b5 routine

  1. Play Eb, Gb, Bbb, Db slowly in root position and say "Ebm7b5" each time.
  2. Climb the four positions: Eb Gb Bbb Db, then Gb Bbb Db Eb, Bbb Db Eb Gb and Db Eb Gb Bbb, and back down.
  3. Loop Ebm7b5 (D#m7b5) → G#7 → C#m until the change into and out of Ebm7b5 is clean.
  4. Finally meet it in random order between other chords, with a check on every note.

A few minutes every day on Ebm7b5 beat one long session a week.

ChordRunner showing a chord block while hands play the piano

Make Ebm7b5 automatic

In ChordRunner Ebm7b5 and every other chord ride towards your runner: play them in time. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.

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Common questions

What notes are in the E flat half-diminished 7th chord?

Ebm7b5 has four notes: Eb, Gb, Bbb, Db. Root, minor third, diminished fifth and minor seventh (formula 1 b3 b5 b7).

What are the inversions of Ebm7b5?

Root position Eb Gb Bbb Db, 1st inversion Gb Bbb Db Eb, 2nd inversion Bbb Db Eb Gb and 3rd inversion Db Eb Gb Bbb. Every position is still Ebm7b5.

Where does Ebm7b5 go?

Ebm7b5 is the iiø7 of C# minor (as D#m7b5) and the viiø7 of E major (as D#m7b5). In a minor ii-V-i it opens the cadence: Ebm7b5 (D#m7b5) → G#7 → C#m.

Can I practise Ebm7b5 with a MIDI keyboard?

Yes. In ChordRunner a USB MIDI keyboard is detected automatically, and an acoustic piano works through the microphone. Ebm7b5 counts in any inversion, as long as Eb, Gb, Bbb, Db sound together.

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ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.

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