Piano chord · also written A♭m7♭5

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

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

G♯ Half-Diminished 7th chord on a piano keyboard: G♯, B, D, F♯ C5C6 G♯ B D F♯

G♯m7♭5 G♯ – B – D – F♯

Tap any key to hear it.

Name any chord from its keys in the chord finder →

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

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

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

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

  • Right hand: G♯ (1), B (2), D (3), F♯ (5). Fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5, thumb on G♯.
  • Left hand: G♯ (5), B (3), D (2), F♯ (1). Fingers 5 – 3 – 2 – 1, little finger on G♯.

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

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G♯ Half-Diminished 7th inversions

Each inversion puts a different note of the chord in the bass. Written as a slash chord: G♯m7♭5/B, G♯m7♭5/D, G♯m7♭5/F♯.

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

Progressions with G♯ 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 F♯ minor

  1. iiø7 G♯m7♭5
  2. V7 D♭7
  3. i F♯m
Minor ii–V–i in F♯ minor: G♯m7♭5, D♭7, F♯m B D F♯ G♯

Leading-tone seventh

in A major

  1. ii7 Bm7
  2. viiø7 G♯m7♭5
  3. Imaj7 Amaj7
Leading-tone seventh in A major: Bm7, G♯m7♭5, Amaj7 B D F♯ A

Can you find G♯ Half-Diminished 7th?

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

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

Score 0

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

Practice keyboard: tap the notes of the chord

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

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

Major keys

  • A majorviiø7

Minor keys

  • F♯ minoriiø7

G♯ Half-Diminished 7th chord FAQ

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1st inversion: B, D, F♯, G♯ (G♯m7♭5/B). 2nd inversion: D, F♯, G♯, B (G♯m7♭5/D). 3rd inversion: F♯, G♯, B, D (G♯m7♭5/F♯).

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

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

Other G♯ chords

Half-Diminished 7th chords on every root

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