B flat half-diminished arpeggio on bass
The B flat half-diminished arpeggio (B♭m7(♭5)) has 4 notes: B♭, D♭, F♭, A♭ (B flat, D flat, F flat, and A flat), degrees 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭7 of the chord. On bass it fits one octave with the root on the 4th string (fret 6) or on the 3rd string (fret 1).
- B♭ B flat 1
- D♭ D flat ♭3
- F♭ F flat ♭5
- A♭ A flat ♭7
F♭ is the correct spelling in the chord formula; on the instrument it is the same note as E.
Whole neck: every note of the arpeggio up to fret 15. The root (B♭) is highlighted.
Positions as text
Root on string 3 (A) (frets 1 to 4), from the lowest note to the highest:
- string 3: 1 (B♭), 4 (D♭)
- string 2: 2 (F♭)
- string 1: 1 (A♭), 3 (B♭)
Root on string 4 (E) (frets 6 to 9), from the lowest note to the highest:
- string 4: 6 (B♭), 9 (D♭)
- string 3: 7 (F♭)
- string 2: 6 (A♭), 8 (B♭)
Positions on the neck
On bass, each position fits within 4 or 5 frets, one finger per fret, with the root on the 4th string (E) or the 3rd (A), from B flat to the B flat one octave up. Two octaves do not fit under a still hand on 4 strings: you need to shift position halfway.
The faded notes around a position are chord tones too: use them to extend the arpeggio down or up.
Use Degrees to see the role of each note (1 is the root) and Listen to hear the selected position going up and down, at the tempo you want. With the whole neck, Listen plays the arpeggio from the lowest root.
Diagrams in standard tuning (E A D G).
Formula
- B♭
- 3
- D♭
- 3
- F♭
- 4
- A♭
- 2
- B♭
Degrees: 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7 (root, minor third, diminished fifth, minor seventh). Distance between the notes: 3 – 3 – 4 – 2 semitones, counting the step back to the upper root.
About the half-diminished chord
The half-diminished chord sounds tense and unstable, but less harsh than the fully diminished one. It is the ii chord of a minor key (Bm7♭5 → E7 → Am) and the vii chord of a major key; common in jazz, bolero and romantic songs in minor keys.
The chord and the scale
- B flat half-diminished chord (B♭m7(♭5)) The chord shapes on guitar, with sound
- A sharp Locrian scale The scale to practice with it: it has every note of the arpeggio plus the ones in between.
Other B flat scales with every note of the arpeggio
More B flat arpeggios
- Major (B♭)
- Minor (B♭m)
- Seventh (B♭7)
- Major seventh (B♭7M)
- Minor seventh (B♭m7)
- Half-diminished (B♭m7(♭5))
- Diminished seventh (B♭°7)
- Augmented (B♭+)
The half-diminished arpeggio in other keys
Frequently asked questions
What are the notes of the B flat half-diminished arpeggio?
The B flat half-diminished arpeggio (B♭m7(♭5)) has the notes B flat, D flat, F flat, and A flat: degrees 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭7 of the chord.
How do you play the B flat half-diminished arpeggio on bass?
In one octave, one finger per fret: root on string 3 (A) (frets 1 to 4, 1 octave) and root on string 4 (E) (frets 6 to 9, 1 octave).
Which scale goes with the B flat half-diminished arpeggio?
The A sharp Locrian scale, which has every note of the arpeggio. These also have all of them: B flat blues scale and B flat dominant diminished (half-whole) scale.