What is half diminished?

In music theory, a half-diminished chord, also known as a minor seven flat five chord, is a type of seventh chord that is built by stacking intervals of minor thirds on top of one another.

The half-diminished chord is often represented as a circle with a diagonal line through it, and is symbolized as ø or m7♭5. It is a four-note chord that consists of a root note, a minor third, a diminished fifth, and a minor seventh.

For example, in the key of C major, the half-diminished chord would be spelled as follows: C (root) - E♭ (minor third) - G♭ (diminished fifth) - B♭ (minor seventh).

Half-diminished chords are commonly used in jazz and other genres of music to add color and tension to harmonic progressions. They are often used as substitution chords for dominant seventh chords, and can create a sense of dissonance before resolving to a more stable chord.

Overall, half-diminished chords have a unique and distinctive sound that can add depth and complexity to musical compositions.