E♭m7♭5

Eb Half-Diminished — the half-diminished — a minor seventh with a flattened fifth, the classic ii chord in minor keys.

The keys
C4C5C6
E♭ – G♭ – A – D♭
What's inside E♭m7♭5
NoteInterval from rootDegree
E♭Root1
G♭Minor 3rdb3
A (spelled B♭♭)Diminished 5thb5
D♭Minor 7thb7
Inversions
PositionKeys (low → high)
Root positionE♭4 – G♭4 – A4 – D♭5
1st inversionG♭4 – A4 – D♭5 – E♭5
2nd inversionA4 – D♭5 – E♭5 – G♭5
3rd inversionD♭5 – E♭5 – G♭5 – A5
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)E♭2 – D♭3
Right (colour)G♭4 – A4
Where E♭m7♭5 lives

As the ii chord

E♭m7♭5 → A♭7 → D♭maj7

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

Stepwise colour

E♭ → E♭m7♭5 → Fm7

Used as a passing colour between neighbouring chords.

Put E♭m7♭5 under your fingers

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

Open the Chord & Voicing Lab →