Gm7b5 Chord On The Guitar (G Minor 7 Flat 5, G Half Diminished) – Diagrams, Finger Positions and Theory

The Gm7b5 chord (G minor 7 flat 5, or G half diminished) contains the notes G, Bb, Db and F, which is the 1 (root) b3, b5 and b7 of the G Major scale. It can be viewed as a Gm7 chord with a flat 5 or a G diminished chord with an added b7.

The half diminished chord can sound like a very dissonant chord, when played in isolation. However, when played in the context of other chords, it can sound beautiful. Am7b5 is the 7th chord in the key of Bb Major. Try playing an Ab chord, then a Gm7b5 chord and then return to Ab. This is an example of how Gm7b5 can sound beautiful in context.

The Gm7b5 chord is most commonly played with the root note on the 2nd fret of the 6th string (2nd shape in the picture below).

10 Ways To Play The Gbm7b5 Chord

If you’ve come to this page just to view some chord diagrams for Gm7b5 (G half diminished), here they are.

Gm7b5 Chord 10 Shapes

Some Quick Gm7b5 Chord Theory

  • The G minor 7 flat 5 chord contains the notes G, Bb, Db and F.
  • The Gm7b5 chord is produced by playing the 1st (root), flat 3rd, flat 5th and flat 7th of the Ab Major scale.
  • The G minor 7 flat 5 chord (just like all half diminished chords) contains the following intervals (from the root note): minor 3rd, minor 3rd, Major 3rd, Major 2nd (back to the root note).
  • Gm7b5 is a G diminished chord, with an added flat 7th (F) included, or a Gm7 chord with the 5th lowered by a semitone.
  • Gm7b5 is the 7th chord in the key of Ab.
  • The G locrian mode can be used when soloing over the Gm7b5 chord.

Further Reading

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