Chord & FretC7(b5) on electric guitar
On the electric guitar a chord needs only a few clear notes — the amp sustains them and fills the space, so you mute the strings you are not playing and let the tone carry the rest. In this C7(b5) voicing the bass is C and the shape runs from fret 3 to 5. Plugged into an amp, each chord sustains for as long as you hold it, and the tone — clean or driven — shapes the whole sound.
Notes in C7(b5): C – E – Gb – BbFormula: 1 – 3 – 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.
Where to use it: Jazz, bossa and turnarounds — the natural step toward swapping one dominant for another.
Every region of the neck hides more shapes of C7(b5) on electric guitar. In Chord & Fret, you check it note by note, playing any shape as an arpeggio; compare positions with their difficulty marked; and set a capo — the diagrams redraw above it. Start free. Unlock everything with Pro. Plays offline.
See the whole neck in Chord & Fret →Part of the Sevenths family.