Learn › E Half-Diminished Chord on Piano (Em7b5)
New Released in April 2026
E Half-Diminished Chord on Piano (Em7b5)
E half-diminished 7th (Em7b5) is spelled E - G - Bb - D. It sounds like Edim with an extra D, the note that gives it its dark, unresolved colour. Here you will find its inversions, both hands and the chords it belongs with.
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- MIDI keyboard
- Digital or acoustic piano
- Guitar
- Computer, phone or tablet
How to play Em7b5 on the piano
| Hand | E | G | Bb | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 1 (thumb) | 2 | 3 | 5 (little) |
| Left hand | 5 (little) | 3 | 2 | 1 (thumb) |
Play Em7b5 broken first, E, G, Bb, D one by one, then together: a wrong key stands out.
A three-note Em7b5
Root, flat fifth, seventh: E Bb D. It already sounds like Em7b5 and moves smoothly to the next chord.
How to practise Em7b5
- Play E, G, Bb, D slowly in root position and say "Em7b5" each time.
- Walk up through the inversions (G Bb D E, Bb D E G, D E G Bb) without lifting the whole hand.
- Loop Em7b5 → A7 → Dm until the change into and out of Em7b5 is clean.
- Finally meet it in random order between other chords, with a check on every note.
Short daily rounds fix Em7b5 in memory faster than one long practice a week.
Em7b5 compared with the other 7th chords on E
One note changes and the chord gets a new name.
E half-diminished 7th chord inversions
Move E up an octave for the 1st inversion, then G for the 2nd, then Bb for the 3rd.
Root position: E G Bb D
1st inversion: G Bb D E
2nd inversion: Bb D E G
3rd inversion: D E G Bb
Train Em7b5 in a game
Knowing Em7b5 on paper is step one. ChordRunner makes you find it fast, mixed with other chords. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.
Play the demoCommon questions
How do you play Em7b5 on the piano?
Press E, G, Bb, D together. Right hand 1, 2, 3, 5 with the thumb on E; any octave and any order of those notes is still Em7b5.
What are the inversions of Em7b5?
Root position E G Bb D, 1st inversion G Bb D E, 2nd inversion Bb D E G and 3rd inversion D E G Bb. Every position is still Em7b5.
Where does Em7b5 go?
Em7b5 is the iiø7 of D minor and the viiø7 of F major. In a minor ii-V-i it opens the cadence: Em7b5 → A7 → Dm.
Can I practise Em7b5 with a MIDI keyboard?
Yes. In ChordRunner a USB MIDI keyboard is detected automatically, and an acoustic piano works through the microphone. Em7b5 counts in any inversion, as long as E, G, Bb, D sound together.
Your instrument is the controller.
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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