Map it slowly
Find C on string 6 at fret 8. Play string 6, fret 8; string 6, fret 11; string 5, fret 9; string 4, fret 8; string 4, fret 10. Use a relaxed position and release pressure between repetitions. String 1 is high E.
Arpeggio · Cm7♭5 · Guitar
Cm7♭5 arpeggio on guitar
The Cm7♭5 arpeggio is C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭ — chord tones 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7. Cm7♭5 is the iiø chord of a minor ii–V–i; its sound is dark, unstable, leading. Below, every C, E♭, G♭, B♭ on the fretboard is marked, with the root in gold. Press play to hear a one-octave arpeggio, or tap any note.
Visualizer
Cm7♭5 on the fretboard.
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
RootChord toneBeing played
Tempo100 bpm
Show
Sound
Play loops the arpeggio up and down one octave (switch Loop off for a single pass) in the position starting at fret 8. Tap any marked note to hear it. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Your next 10 minutes
Make C Half-diminished (m7♭5) part of your playing
Make a short phrase
Play C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭ in quarter notes at 60 bpm. Repeat starting from E♭, wrapping back to C. Do not speed up until every attack is even.
Hear it in context
Alternate E♭ and B♭ above a sustained C. These are degree ♭3 and ♭7. End a four-bar phrase on either one instead of always returning to the root.
Listen for this: Cm7♭5 has the colour “dark, unstable, leading”. Name the degrees as you play, so you can recognize the sound in another key rather than remembering only a shape.
Understand the sound
Cm7♭5: from a pattern to a musical choice
What gives Cm7♭5 its identity?
Compare the flat fifth with a perfect fifth while keeping the other notes fixed. That one change turns a minor seventh into a half-diminished chord.
Here the third is E♭, and degree ♭7 is B♭. Play C in the bass and compare these voices individually before combining them.
Turn the arpeggio into a melody
Try E♭ – G♭ – B♭ – C as quarter notes, then repeat the first note and omit the last. The second phrase uses the same harmony with a different shape.
Sound the strings separately before playing them together. If a note is muted, adjust the finger angle instead of squeezing harder.
Your guitar checkpoint
Start with C on string 6, fret 8. The next note E♭ is on string 6, fret 11. Name both notes aloud before playing, then find the same two pitches in another octave.
Before moving on, close the diagram and name the notes: C · E♭ · G♭ · B♭. Then play a two-bar phrase from memory and leave two bars of silence.
On piano
Cm7♭5 on the keyboard.
Reference
Cm7♭5 — chord tones & intervals.
| Chord tone | Note | Interval from C |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | unison (0 semitones) |
| ♭3 | E♭ | minor 3rd (3 semitones) |
| ♭5 | G♭ | diminished 5th (6 semitones) |
| ♭7 | B♭ | minor 7th (10 semitones) |
Goes with: C Locrian (C D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭). Voicings: Cm7♭5 voicings on guitar.
Take it to the bandstand.Practice Radio streams endless changes to play the Cm7♭5 arpeggio over through all twelve keys, with the chord and scale shown live — plus ear-training and call & response modes.
▶ Open Practice RadioCommon questions
Cm7♭5 arpeggio FAQ.
What notes are in a Cm7♭5 arpeggio?
C – E♭ – G♭ – B♭. As chord tones: 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
What is a Cm7♭5 chord used for?
Cm7♭5 is the iiø chord of a minor ii–V–i. Its character is dark, unstable, leading.
Which scale goes with Cm7♭5?
C Locrian (C D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
How do I practise the Cm7♭5 arpeggio on guitar?
Start on the root C on the low E string at fret 8 and play E-string fret 8, E-string fret 11, A-string fret 9, D-string fret 8, D-string fret 10. Then play it descending, then in eighth notes with a metronome, then use it in a short phrase over a suitable chord.
Keep going
Half-diminished (m7♭5) arpeggio in every other key.
Same arpeggio on piano · Half-diminished (m7♭5) hub · chord-scale theory.
Other arpeggios from C