Cavaquinho · Half-diminished chord

Bm7b5 Half-diminished

Key: C Major
Easy
Open chord

Bm7b5 is the B half-diminished chord on cavaquinho, made of the notes B · D · F · A.

Position 1 of 3Main

Notes

B
D
F
A

Structure

1
♭3
♭5
♭7

Sound: Half-diminished (m7♭5); Dark, jazzy
Harmonic function: Dominant; Creates tension that resolves to the tonic.

Harmonic field of C Major

Degree	Chord	Function
I	C	Tonic
ii	Dm	Subdominant
iii	Em	Tonic relative
IV	F	Subdominant
V	G	Dominant
vi	Am	Tonic relative
vii°	Bdim	Dominant

How to play

1Place your middle finger on fret 2 of string 3.
2Place your ring finger on fret 3 of string 4.
3Let strings 2, 1 ring open.
4Strum all the strings.