Chord & FretEm7(b5) — half-diminished
Notes in Em7(b5): E – G – Bb – DFormula: 1 – b3 – b5 – b7In the formula, the numbers count steps of the major scale starting from the note that names the chord; "b" lowers a half step, "#" raises one — and a slash names the bass note.
Picture a minor chord whose fifth has been 'shrunk', that is, lowered by a half step: the result is tense and melancholic at once. In minor keys it usually announces that tension is on the way — as in Bm7b5 → E7E7E7E7 → AmAmAmAm. It is a color you hear a lot in bolero and bossa nova.
The same chord on all four instruments
Where to use it: In minor keys it is usually the chord that opens the famous ii–V — in other words, the two-chord pair that prepares the return home. Think Dm7b5 → G7G7G7G7 arriving at CmCmCmCm.
The shapes of Em7(b5) don't end on this page — the whole neck holds dozens. In Chord & Fret, you hear every shape strummed string by string, in each instrument's own voice; compare positions with their difficulty marked; and change the tuning — the shape rewrites itself. Start free. Unlock everything with Pro. Plays offline.
See the whole neck in Chord & Fret →Part of the Sevenths family.