Am7♭5

Am7♭5 is the a half-diminished chord, spelled A – C – E♭ – G. the half-diminished — a minor seventh with a flattened fifth, the classic ii chord in minor keys.

The keys
C4C5C6
A – C – E♭ – G
Practise this chord

Plug in your MIDI keyboard and let Coach Tshepho drill you on Am7♭5 — it plays the chord, names any wrong notes as you play, and moves you on when you nail it.

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What's inside Am7♭5
NoteInterval from rootDegree
ARoot1
CMinor 3rdb3
E♭Diminished 5thb5
GMinor 7thb7
Inversions
PositionKeys (low → high)
Root positionA4 – C5 – E♭5 – G5
1st inversionC5 – E♭5 – G5 – A5
2nd inversionE♭5 – G5 – A5 – C6
3rd inversionG5 – A5 – C6 – E♭6
A working voicing

Split the chord between two hands the way working players do — a solid shell low down, the colour tones up top:

HandKeys
Left (shell)A2 – G3
Right (colour)C5 – E♭5
Where Am7♭5 lives

As the ii chord

Am7♭5 → D7 → Gmaj7

Minor-family sevenths live on the ii — this is the move they were born for.

Stepwise colour

A → Am7♭5 → Bm7

Used as a passing colour between neighbouring chords.

Put Am7♭5 under your fingers

Hear every voicing, see the keys light up, and drill it in the interactive Chord & Voicing Lab.

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