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Chord chart for C♯m7♭5 Guitar Chord (C♯ minor 7th flat 5): Notes, Shapes & How to Play | Guitar Wiz

C♯ minor 7th flat 5 guitar shapes

Popular fretboard positions with fingering suggestions

Showing 8 of 88 playable shapes

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C♯ minor 7th flat 5 guitar chord diagram showing fretboard positions

About the chord

C♯ minor 7th flat 5 guitar chord

C♯m7♭5 is the C♯ minor 7th flat 5 guitar chord. It uses the notes C♯, E, G, and B and the interval formula 1-♭3-♭5-♭7.

The C♯ minor 7th flat 5 minor 7th flat 5 chord, also known as half-diminished, combines the diminished triad with a minor seventh B, producing a haunting, unresolved tension. It is essential in jazz harmony for its sophisticated, somber sound.

Also written as C♯min7(♭5) and C♯m7(♭5).

Root note: C♯
Quality: minor 7th flat 5
Chord tones: 4
Playable shapes: 88

Chord tones

C♯EGB

Common guitar voicings

These are quick-start shapes for players who want the answer first and the deeper theory second.

Shape x42000

x42000

View shape
  1. 1 Place the 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the 4th string.
  2. 2 Place the 3rd finger on the 4th fret of the 5th string.
  3. 3 Let the third, second, and first strings ring open.
  4. 4 Strum from the 5th string down.

Shape x42423

x42423

View shape
  1. 1 Place the 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the 2nd string and 4th string in barre position.
  2. 2 Place the 2nd finger on the 3rd fret of the 1st string.
  3. 3 Place the 3rd finger on the 4th fret of the 5th string.
  4. 4 Place the 4th finger on the 4th fret of the 3rd string.
  5. 5 Strum from the 5th string down.

Notes & Intervals

Each note below shows how the chord is built from its root. This is the theory layer underneath the fretboard shapes.

C♯ Unison (Root) 1

The root anchors the chord and defines its tonal center.

E Minor Third ♭3

This note supplies the minor color and gives the chord its darker emotional pull.

G Diminished Fifth ♭5

The flattened fifth adds tension and a restless, unstable edge.

B Minor Seventh ♭7

The minor seventh adds bluesy or jazzy tension that wants to move onward.

Shape details

Every shape is shown with its diagram and exact fingering instructions.

C♯ minor 7th flat 5 shape x42000

How to play this shape

  1. 1 Place the 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the 4th string
  2. 2 Place the 3rd finger on the 4th fret of the 5th string
  3. 3 Let the third, second, and first strings ring open
  4. 4 Do not play the sixth string
  5. 5 Strum from the fifth string down to the first string

C♯ minor 7th flat 5 shape x42423

How to play this shape

  1. 1 Place the 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the 2nd string and 4th string in barre position
  2. 2 Place the 2nd finger on the 3rd fret of the 1st string
  3. 3 Place the 3rd finger on the 4th fret of the 5th string
  4. 4 Place the 4th finger on the 4th fret of the 3rd string
  5. 5 Do not play the sixth string
  6. 6 Strum from the fifth string down to the first string

C♯ minor 7th flat 5 shape x42003

How to play this shape

  1. 1 Place the 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the 4th string
  2. 2 Place the 2nd finger on the 3rd fret of the 1st string
  3. 3 Place the 3rd finger on the 4th fret of the 5th string
  4. 4 Let the third and second strings ring open
  5. 5 Do not play the sixth string
  6. 6 Strum from the fifth string down to the first string

C♯ minor 7th flat 5 shape x42403

How to play this shape

  1. 1 Place the 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the 4th string
  2. 2 Place the 2nd finger on the 3rd fret of the 1st string
  3. 3 Place the 3rd finger on the 4th fret of the 5th string
  4. 4 Place the 4th finger on the 4th fret of the 3rd string
  5. 5 Let the second string ring open
  6. 6 Do not play the sixth string
  7. 7 Strum from the fifth string down to the first string

C♯ minor 7th flat 5 shape x45000

How to play this shape

  1. 1 Place the 1st finger on the 4th fret of the 5th string
  2. 2 Place the 2nd finger on the 5th fret of the 4th string
  3. 3 Let the third, second, and first strings ring open
  4. 4 Do not play the sixth string
  5. 5 Strum from the fifth string down to the first string

C♯ minor 7th flat 5 shape x45400

How to play this shape

  1. 1 Place the 1st finger on the 4th fret of the 5th string
  2. 2 Place the 2nd finger on the 4th fret of the 3rd string
  3. 3 Place the 3rd finger on the 5th fret of the 4th string
  4. 4 Let the second and first strings ring open
  5. 5 Do not play the sixth string
  6. 6 Strum from the fifth string down to the first string

C♯ minor 7th flat 5 shape x45600

How to play this shape

  1. 1 Place the 1st finger on the 4th fret of the 5th string
  2. 2 Place the 2nd finger on the 5th fret of the 4th string
  3. 3 Place the 3rd finger on the 6th fret of the 3rd string
  4. 4 Let the second and first strings ring open
  5. 5 Do not play the sixth string
  6. 6 Strum from the fifth string down to the first string

C♯ minor 7th flat 5 shape 979007

How to play this shape

  1. 1 Place the 1st finger on the 7th fret of the 5th string
  2. 2 Place the 2nd finger on the 7th fret of the 1st string
  3. 3 Place the 3rd finger on the 9th fret of the 6th string
  4. 4 Place the 4th finger on the 9th fret of the 4th string
  5. 5 Let the third and second strings ring open
  6. 6 Strum from the sixth string down to the first string

Quick answers

What notes are in C♯m7♭5?

C♯m7♭5 uses the notes C♯, E, G, and B. Its interval formula is 1-♭3-♭5-♭7.

What is another name for C♯m7♭5?

C♯m7♭5 is also written as C♯min7(♭5) and C♯m7(♭5).

How do you play C♯m7♭5 on guitar?

Place the 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the 4th string. Place the 3rd finger on the 4th fret of the 5th string. Let the third, second, and first strings ring open. Strum from the 5th string down.

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