Half-Diminished Chords: The Essential Jazz Sound

Half-diminished chord diagram

The half-diminished chord is built by stacking a minor third, diminished fifth, and minor seventh above the root.

Role in Jazz Harmony

Half-diminished chords, also known as minor7(♭5) chords, play a crucial role in jazz harmony, especially when it comes to ii-V-I progressions in minor keys. The half-diminished chord is often found as the ii chord in these cadences, creating tension that resolves to the V7 chord.

For example, in the key of C minor, the ii-V-I progression would be:

Dø7
G7(♭9)
Cm7

Notice how the Dø7 chord adds a sense of tension and instability that makes the resolution to G7 and ultimately Cm7 sound even more satisfying.

Constructing Half-Diminished Chords

To build a half-diminished chord, start with a minor seventh chord and lower the fifth by a half-step. So an Am7 chord (A-C-E-G) becomes an Aø7 chord (A-C-E♭-G).

Half-diminished chords can be built on any root note. Here are the spellings for all 12 half-diminished chords:

Practice these chords in all inversions and get comfortable with their unique sound. Listen for them the next time you're checking out your favorite jazz standards!

Half-Diminished Chord Exercises

Try these exercises to get half-diminished chords under your fingers:

  1. Pick a key and play the ii-V-i progression using the half-diminished chord. For example, in E minor: F#ø7 - B7(b9) - Em7. Repeat through all keys.
  2. Take a jazz standard you know and find places where you can use half-diminished chords as chord substitutions to create more harmonic interest.
  3. Improvise over a static half-diminished chord vamp. Explore the unique tension this sound creates. Try to resolve that tension in your playing.

Happy practicing! Incorporating half-diminished chords into your playing will add a quintessential jazz sound to your harmonic palette.

Further Reading