Am7♭5 chord · Grammar of Music

Tool

A half-diminished: A4, C5, E♭5, G5. Click any symbol to hear it.

RootQuality

Notes

The same chord with another note in the bass. The chord symbol writes the bass note after the slash.

x 0 1 0 1 3 · 3 fingers

x 0 1 2 1 3 · 4 fingers

x 0 1 0 1 x · 2 fingers

5 6 5 5 8 5 · barre at fret 5 · 3 fingers

Chord symbolsThe notation that names a chord by its root and quality, and how to read its extensions and alterations.
TriadsThree-note chords stacked in thirds, and the four qualities that result.
Seventh chordsThe fourth note stacked on the triad, and the five qualities the repertoire actually uses.
Extended chordsNinth, eleventh and thirteenth: the stack of thirds carried on above the seventh.
Chord inversionsThe same notes over a different bass: the same identity with a different weight and a different voice leading.
Fretboard geographyA six-string chromatic ruler, where the same note appears in several places and every shape transposes.