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C Half-Diminished 7th Chord
The C Half-Diminished 7th Chord is C, E-flat, G-flat, and B-flat, with only the thumb on a white key. Once the thumb finds C, the other three fingers fall onto the black keys together. The chord has a darker, searching quality, a little less tense than a fully diminished seventh because of the B-flat on top.
How to play the C Half-Diminished 7th Chord on the piano
Let’s go through some charts that will familiarize you with the C Half-Diminished 7th Chord and how to play it in the various forms you will encounter in pieces of music. First, we’ll look at the fundamental chord and its inversions; then, we’ll explore some more complex voicings.
The C Half-Diminished 7th Chord in root position
In root position, the notes of the C half-diminished 7th chord are stacked in thirds with C on the bottom. The appearance on the staff is evenly spaced, as is the feeling of the space in between your fingers while playing.
| C Half-Diminished 7th Chord in root position | |
|---|---|
| Note Order | C E♭ G♭ B♭ |
| Left Hand Fingering | 5 3 2 1 |
| Right Hand Fingering | 1 2 3 5 |
| Chord Symbol | Cm7♭5 or Cø7 |
The C Half-Diminished 7th Chord in first inversion
In first inversion, the third of the chord (E♭) becomes the bottom note, and the root (C) jumps up to the top.
| C Half-Diminished 7th Chord in 1st inversion | |
|---|---|
| Note Order | E♭ G♭ B♭ C |
| Left Hand Fingering | 5 3 2 1 |
| Right Hand Fingering | 1 2 4 5 |
| Chord Symbol | Cø6/5 or Cm7♭5/E♭ |
The C Half-Diminished 7th Chord in second inversion
In second inversion, the fifth of the chord (G♭) is on the bottom, and the third of the chord (E♭) goes to the top.
| C Half-Diminished 7th Chord in 2nd inversion | |
|---|---|
| Note Order | G♭ B♭ C E♭ |
| Left Hand Fingering | 5 3 2 1 |
| Right Hand Fingering | 1 2 3 5 |
| Chord Symbol | Cø4/3 or Cm7♭5/G♭ |
The C Half-Diminished 7th Chord in third inversion
In third inversion, the seventh of the chord (B♭) is on the bottom, and the fifth of the chord (G♭) goes to the top.
| C Half-Diminished 7th Chord in 3rd inversion | |
|---|---|
| Note Order | B♭ C E♭ G♭ |
| Left Hand Fingering | 5 4 2 1 |
| Right Hand Fingering | 1 2 3 5 |
| Chord Symbol | Cø4/2 or Cm7♭5/B♭ |
C Half-Diminished 7th Chord theory and function
The half-diminished 7th is a diminished triad with a minor seventh, and it is a softer kind of tension than the fully diminished chord. It is the ii chord of minor keys and the vii chord of major keys, and it usually leads to a dominant.
The C half-diminished 7th chord is the leading-tone chord (viiø7) in D♭ major. In minor keys, it is the supertonic (iiø7) in B♭ minor.
The pattern to know is ii – V – i in a minor key. In B♭ minor that is Cø7 – F7 – B♭m. The notes are also a minor 6th chord in inversion: Cø7 contains the same four notes as E♭m6, which is why theory books sometimes describe it as a minor triad with an added sixth. Try playing Cø7 and then C°7: the two chords differ by a single note, and it is worth hearing how much that one half step changes.
Other chords built on C
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