Learn › F Half-Diminished Chord on Piano (Fm7b5)
New Released in April 2026
F Half-Diminished Chord on Piano (Fm7b5)
F half-diminished 7th (Fm7b5) is spelled F - Ab - Cb - Eb. It sounds like Fdim with an extra Eb, 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
Four ways to play Fm7b5
Move F up an octave for the 1st inversion, then Ab for the 2nd, then Cb for the 3rd.
Root position: F Ab Cb Eb
1st inversion: Ab Cb Eb F
2nd inversion: Cb Eb F Ab
3rd inversion: Eb F Ab Cb
How to practise Fm7b5
- Play F, Ab, Cb, Eb slowly in root position and say "Fm7b5" each time.
- Climb the four positions: F Ab Cb Eb, then Ab Cb Eb F, Cb Eb F Ab and Eb F Ab Cb, and back down.
- Loop Fm7b5 → Bb7 → Ebm until the change into and out of Fm7b5 is clean.
- Finally meet it in random order between other chords, with a check on every note.
Short daily rounds fix Fm7b5 in memory faster than one long practice a week.
How to play Fm7b5 on the piano
| Hand | F | Ab | Cb | Eb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 1 (thumb) | 2 | 3 | 5 (little) |
| Left hand | 5 (little) | 3 | 2 | 1 (thumb) |
Too much stretch? Play F alone in the left hand and Ab Cb Eb in the right.
The light version of Fm7b5
Root, flat fifth, seventh: F Cb Eb. It already sounds like Fm7b5 and moves smoothly to the next chord.
Practise Fm7b5 by playing
ChordRunner sends Fm7b5 at you between other chords and checks every note you play. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.
Play the demoCommon questions
How do you play Fm7b5 on the piano?
Press F, Ab, Cb, Eb together. Right hand 1, 2, 3, 5 with the thumb on F; any octave and any order of those notes is still Fm7b5.
What are the inversions of Fm7b5?
Root position F Ab Cb Eb, 1st inversion Ab Cb Eb F, 2nd inversion Cb Eb F Ab and 3rd inversion Eb F Ab Cb. Every position is still Fm7b5.
Where does Fm7b5 go?
Fm7b5 is the iiø7 of Eb minor and the viiø7 of Gb major. In a minor ii-V-i it opens the cadence: Fm7b5 → Bb7 → Ebm.
Can I practise Fm7b5 with a MIDI keyboard?
Yes. In ChordRunner a USB MIDI keyboard is detected automatically, and an acoustic piano works through the microphone. Fm7b5 counts in any inversion, as long as F, Ab, Cb, Eb 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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