Map it slowly
Find G on string 6 at fret 3. Play string 6, fret 3; string 6, fret 6; string 5, fret 4; string 4, fret 3; string 4, fret 5. Use a relaxed position and release pressure between repetitions. String 1 is high E.
Arpeggio · Gm7♭5 · Guitar
Gm7♭5 arpeggio on guitar
The Gm7♭5 arpeggio is G – B♭ – D♭ – F — chord tones 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7. Gm7♭5 is the iiø chord of a minor ii–V–i; its sound is dark, unstable, leading. Below, every G, B♭, D♭, F on the fretboard is marked, with the root in gold. Press play to hear a one-octave arpeggio, or tap any note.
Visualizer
Gm7♭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 3. 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 G Half-diminished (m7♭5) part of your playing
Make a short phrase
Play G – B♭ – D♭ – F in quarter notes at 60 bpm. Repeat starting from B♭, wrapping back to G. Do not speed up until every attack is even.
Hear it in context
Alternate B♭ and F above a sustained G. These are degree ♭3 and ♭7. End a four-bar phrase on either one instead of always returning to the root.
Listen for this: Gm7♭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
Gm7♭5: from a pattern to a musical choice
What gives Gm7♭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 B♭, and degree ♭7 is F. Play G in the bass and compare these voices individually before combining them.
Turn the arpeggio into a melody
Try B♭ – D♭ – F – G 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 G on string 6, fret 3. The next note B♭ is on string 6, fret 6. 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: G · B♭ · D♭ · F. Then play a two-bar phrase from memory and leave two bars of silence.
On piano
Gm7♭5 on the keyboard.
Reference
Gm7♭5 — chord tones & intervals.
| Chord tone | Note | Interval from G |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | G | unison (0 semitones) |
| ♭3 | B♭ | minor 3rd (3 semitones) |
| ♭5 | D♭ | diminished 5th (6 semitones) |
| ♭7 | F | minor 7th (10 semitones) |
Goes with: G Locrian (G A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F). Voicings: Gm7♭5 voicings on guitar.
Take it to the bandstand.Practice Radio streams endless changes to play the Gm7♭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
Gm7♭5 arpeggio FAQ.
What notes are in a Gm7♭5 arpeggio?
G – B♭ – D♭ – F. As chord tones: 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
What is a Gm7♭5 chord used for?
Gm7♭5 is the iiø chord of a minor ii–V–i. Its character is dark, unstable, leading.
Which scale goes with Gm7♭5?
G Locrian (G A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
How do I practise the Gm7♭5 arpeggio on guitar?
Start on the root G on the low E string at fret 3 and play E-string fret 3, E-string fret 6, A-string fret 4, D-string fret 3, D-string fret 5. 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 G