Piano chord · also written G♭m7♭5

F♯ Half-Diminished 7th Piano Chord (F♯m7♭5)

The F♯ Half-Diminished 7th chord on piano is made of the notes F♯, A, C and E. Bittersweet tension. Used as the ii chord in minor keys.

F♯ Half-Diminished 7th chord on a piano keyboard: F♯, A, C, E C5C6 F♯ A C E

F♯m7♭5 F♯ – A – C – E

Tap any key to hear it.

Name any chord from its keys in the chord finder →

What notes are in F♯ Half-Diminished 7th?

4 notes, built 1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭7 up from F♯.

Notes
F♯ – A – C – E
Formula
1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭7
Semitones from the root
0 – 3 – 6 – 10
Symbol
F♯m7♭5
Same keys as
G♭m7♭5 (G♭ – A – C – F♭)
Chord type
Half-Diminished 7th, 4 notes

How to play F♯ Half-Diminished 7th on piano

  • Right hand: F♯ (1), A (2), C (3), E (5). Fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5, thumb on F♯.
  • Left hand: F♯ (5), A (3), C (2), E (1). Fingers 5 – 3 – 2 – 1, little finger on F♯.

Fingers are numbered 1 (thumb) to 5 (little finger) on both hands.

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F♯ Half-Diminished 7th inversions

Each inversion puts a different note of the chord in the bass. Written as a slash chord: F♯m7♭5/A, F♯m7♭5/C, F♯m7♭5/E.

F♯ Half-Diminished 7th root position on piano: F♯, A, C, E F♯ A C E
Root position F♯m7♭5 F♯ – A – C – E RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1
F♯ Half-Diminished 7th 1st inversion on piano: A, C, E, F♯ A C E F♯
1st inversion F♯m7♭5/A A – C – E – F♯ RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1
F♯ Half-Diminished 7th 2nd inversion on piano: C, E, F♯, A C E F♯ A
2nd inversion F♯m7♭5/C C – E – F♯ – A RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1
F♯ Half-Diminished 7th 3rd inversion on piano: E, F♯, A, C E F♯ A C
3rd inversion F♯m7♭5/E E – F♯ – A – C RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1

Progressions with F♯ Half-Diminished 7th

Press play: the chords move across the keyboard as they sound, voiced so your hand barely moves.

Minor ii–V–i

in E minor

  1. iiø7 F♯m7♭5
  2. V7 B7
  3. i Em
Minor ii–V–i in E minor: F♯m7♭5, B7, Em C E F♯ A

Leading-tone seventh

in G major

  1. ii7 Am7
  2. viiø7 F♯m7♭5
  3. Imaj7 Gmaj7
Leading-tone seventh in G major: Am7, F♯m7♭5, Gmaj7 C E G A

Can you find F♯ Half-Diminished 7th?

Tap the notes on the keyboard, then check. Six chords, starting with this one.

1 / 6 Tap the notes of F♯ Half-Diminished 7th (F♯m7♭5)

Score 0

Any octave, any order. Each key you tap plays.

Practice keyboard: tap the notes of the chord

What key is F♯ Half-Diminished 7th in?

The keys whose scale contains every note of F♯m7♭5, with the chord’s Roman numeral in each.

Major keys

  • G majorviiø7

Minor keys

  • E minoriiø7

F♯ Half-Diminished 7th chord FAQ

What notes are in the F♯ Half-Diminished 7th chord?

F♯ Half-Diminished 7th (F♯m7♭5) has 4 notes: F♯, A, C and E. Its formula is 1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭7, counted up from F♯.

How do you play F♯ Half-Diminished 7th on the piano?

Put your right thumb on F♯ and play F♯, A, C and E with fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5. With the left hand, use fingers 5 – 3 – 2 – 1, little finger on F♯.

Is F♯ Half-Diminished 7th the same as G♭ Half-Diminished 7th?

On the piano, yes: G♭m7♭5 (G♭, A, C, F♭) uses exactly the same keys as F♯m7♭5 (F♯, A, C, E). Which name is used depends on the key of the piece; F♯m7♭5 is the more common spelling.

What are the inversions of F♯ Half-Diminished 7th?

1st inversion: A, C, E, F♯ (F♯m7♭5/A). 2nd inversion: C, E, F♯, A (F♯m7♭5/C). 3rd inversion: E, F♯, A, C (F♯m7♭5/E).

What key is F♯ Half-Diminished 7th in?

F♯m7♭5 belongs to G major (viiø7) and E minor (iiø7).

Other F♯ chords

Half-Diminished 7th chords on every root

Piano chord chart: all 264 chords Open F♯m7♭5 in the chord finder Free PDF chord chart Play it on the virtual piano