Am7b5 arpeggio
A Half-dim 7 — the notes A, C, Eb, G played one at a time, bottom-up and back.
Musical context
How the arpeggio relates to the chord, scale, mode and key.
How to play the arpeggio
Theory
General info
- Full name
- A Half-dim 7
- Root
- A
- Quality
- Half-dim 7
- Type
- Half-diminished seventh
- Note count
- 4
- Brief character
- Softly tense sound — the main chord of minor jazz cadences. Unlike dim7, the minor (not diminished) seventh makes the sound softer and less symmetric.
Softly anxious, "smoky", jazzy. Yearning, irresolution, introspection.
Recognized by its softly anxious sound — softer than dim7, darker than m7.
Notes & degrees
Diminished triad + minor seventh: 1-b3-b5-b7.
On the piano
An arpeggio is a broken chord: the same notes played one after another rather than together, bottom-up and back. On the piano they are usually split between the two hands — in an accompaniment, for instance, the left hand carries the bass while the right fills in the figuration.
Any chord can be played arpeggiato or turned into figuration — a broken bass, Alberti figures, a waltz accompaniment. Unlike the guitar, where an arpeggio is tied to the order the strings are plucked, there is no fixed fingering “shape” here — evenness and legato between the notes matter most.
Chord basis
From dim7: b7 instead of bb7. From m7: b5 instead of 5.
Function and tensions
iiø7 in minor. Substitution for ii7 in major (less common).
Transitional — bridge between subdominant and dominant of minor.
Harmonic context
iiø7 of harmonic minor, viiø7 of major (less common).
Locrian mode, Locrian ♮2, harmonic minor.
Creates the characteristic minor ii-V turnaround in jazz.
Compatible scales & modes
All chord tones are contained in these scales — use them for improvisation.
This arpeggio on guitar 🎸
See how Am7b5 looks on guitar.
Circle of fifths
Keys where this chord functions as a scale degree, on the circle of fifths.
How to play on piano
Practice
Keyboard Trainer
Reinforce it in practice — play and name notes on the interactive keyboard.