Ab-7(b5b9) Half-Diminished
The Ab-7(b5b9) chord is built from the notes Ab – Cb – Ebb – Gb – Bbb.
Piano sound loads on first tap.
Also known as
Ab-alt7b9Abm11b5b9b13Abm7(b5)b9Abm7b5b9Abmi7(b5b9)
Chord tones, one by one
AbRoot
Root
The fundamental note the chord is built on — Ab.
CbThird
Minor third
Three semitones — makes the chord minor (darker, sadder).
EbbFifth
Diminished fifth (♭5)
Six semitones — a flat fifth. Creates instability, typical of m7♭5 and diminished chords.
GbSeventh
Minor seventh (♭7)
Ten semitones — the dominant/minor seventh. Adds bluesy tension (7, m7).
BbbExtension
Flat ninth (♭9)
A ♭9 — sharp, dissonant tension typical of altered dominant chords.
🎼 Related scales
🎹 Modal analysis
This chord implies the Locrian scale; its characteristic note is the unstable ♭5.
🎸 Genres
Modern jazz · Post-bop · Fusion