Map it slowly
Find E on string 5 at fret 7. Play string 5, fret 7; string 5, fret 10; string 4, fret 8; string 3, fret 7; string 3, fret 9. Use a relaxed position and release pressure between repetitions. String 1 is high E.
Arpeggio · Em7♭5 · Guitar
Em7♭5 arpeggio on guitar
The Em7♭5 arpeggio is E – G – B♭ – D — chord tones 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7. Em7♭5 is the iiø chord of a minor ii–V–i; its sound is dark, unstable, leading. Below, every E, G, B♭, D on the fretboard is marked, with the root in gold. Press play to hear a one-octave arpeggio, or tap any note.
Visualizer
Em7♭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 7. 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 E Half-diminished (m7♭5) part of your playing
Make a short phrase
Play E – G – B♭ – D in quarter notes at 60 bpm. Repeat starting from G, wrapping back to E. Do not speed up until every attack is even.
Hear it in context
Alternate G and D above a sustained E. These are degree ♭3 and ♭7. End a four-bar phrase on either one instead of always returning to the root.
Listen for this: Em7♭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
Em7♭5: from a pattern to a musical choice
What gives Em7♭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 G, and degree ♭7 is D. Play E in the bass and compare these voices individually before combining them.
Turn the arpeggio into a melody
Try G – B♭ – D – E 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 E on string 5, fret 7. The next note G is on string 5, fret 10. 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: E · G · B♭ · D. Then play a two-bar phrase from memory and leave two bars of silence.
On piano
Em7♭5 on the keyboard.
Reference
Em7♭5 — chord tones & intervals.
| Chord tone | Note | Interval from E |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | E | unison (0 semitones) |
| ♭3 | G | minor 3rd (3 semitones) |
| ♭5 | B♭ | diminished 5th (6 semitones) |
| ♭7 | D | minor 7th (10 semitones) |
Goes with: E Locrian (E F G A B♭ C D). Voicings: Em7♭5 voicings on guitar.
Take it to the bandstand.Practice Radio streams endless changes to play the Em7♭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
Em7♭5 arpeggio FAQ.
What notes are in a Em7♭5 arpeggio?
E – G – B♭ – D. As chord tones: 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
What is a Em7♭5 chord used for?
Em7♭5 is the iiø chord of a minor ii–V–i. Its character is dark, unstable, leading.
Which scale goes with Em7♭5?
E Locrian (E F G A B♭ C D) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
How do I practise the Em7♭5 arpeggio on guitar?
Start on the root E on the A string at fret 7 and play A-string fret 7, A-string fret 10, D-string fret 8, G-string fret 7, G-string fret 9. 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 E