A ringing open half-diminished — the ii of D minor.
Notes: E – A# – D – G · Formula: 1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭7
Load E Half-Diminished (Em7b5) onto an interactive fretboard, hear every note, and build it into a progression.
Play Em7b5 in the Studio →Em7b5 is a premium chord — opening it in the Studio prompts a subscription to unlock full access.
A E Half-Diminished (Em7b5) chord contains the notes E, A#, D, G. It is built from the half-diminished formula 1 - ♭3 - ♭5 - ♭7, with E as the root.
Most often as the ii chord in a D minor ii-V-i: Em7b5 moves to A7, which resolves to Dm. It also appears as the vii chord in the key of F major. Any time a progression wants a tense chord that leans toward a minor resolution, a half-diminished like Em7b5 is the natural choice.