Map it slowly
Find C♯ on string 5 at fret 4. Play string 5, fret 4; string 5, fret 7; string 4, fret 5; string 3, fret 4; string 3, fret 6. Use a relaxed position and release pressure between repetitions. String 1 is high E.
Arpeggio · C♯m7♭5 · Guitar
C♯m7♭5 arpeggio on guitar
The C♯m7♭5 arpeggio is C♯ – E – G – B — chord tones 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7. C♯m7♭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
C♯m7♭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 4. 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: C♯m7♭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
C♯m7♭5: from a pattern to a musical choice
What gives C♯m7♭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 5, fret 4. The next note E is on string 5, fret 7. 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
C♯m7♭5 on the keyboard.
Reference
C♯m7♭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: C♯m7♭5 voicings on guitar.
Take it to the bandstand.Practice Radio streams endless changes to play the C♯m7♭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
C♯m7♭5 arpeggio FAQ.
What notes are in a C♯m7♭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 C♯m7♭5 chord used for?
C♯m7♭5 is the iiø chord of a minor ii–V–i. Its character is dark, unstable, leading.
Which scale goes with C♯m7♭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 C♯m7♭5 arpeggio on guitar?
Start on the root C♯ on the A string at fret 4 and play A-string fret 4, A-string fret 7, D-string fret 5, G-string fret 4, G-string fret 6. 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♯