A7b5: guitar chord voicings, inversions, scales and arpeggios
A7b5 (Dom7b5) is an interactive GuitarArcanum page with chord formula, intervals, voicings, inversions, triads, pentatonic patterns, scales and arpeggios on the fretboard.
Chord formula
Interval formula: 1 3 b5 b7. A dominant 7th with a flat 5th. A lifted, slightly blurred dominant — a whole-tone and Lydian-dominant color.
Chord tones
The b5 is a color, not a passing note; it's enharmonic with a #11. The 3rd–b7 tritone keeps the dominant pull.
Sound character
Floating, lifted and slightly blurred — a whole-tone tint.
Harmonic function
An altered dominant. It often pulls more gently than usual thanks to the whole-tone shading.
Typical progressions
- E7b5 → Cmaj7
- A#7b5 – Amaj7
- whole-tone run
Guitar voicing advice
Use a b5 instead of the perfect 5th. The tritone and b5 sit on the 4th and 3rd strings; the shape slides a whole step easily.
Compatible scales for A7b5
Open interactive scale pages that naturally pair with this chord.
Other chord qualities on the A root
Compare this chord with other qualities sharing the same root.
- A (Major)
- Am (Minor)
- Adim (Diminished)
- Aaug (Augmented)
- Asus4 (Sus4)
- A6 (Maj6)
- Amaj7 (Major 7)
- Amaj7b5 (Maj7b5)
- Amaj7sus4 (Maj7sus4)
- Amaj7#11 (Maj7#11)
- Am6 (Min6)
- Am7 (Minor 7)
- Ammaj7 (MinMaj7)
- A7 (Dominant 7)
- A7sus4 (Dom7sus4)
- A7#11 (Dom7#11)
- Am7b5 (m7b5)
- Adim7 (Dim7)
- Adimmaj7 (DimMaj7)
- Adimmaj7b13 (DimMaj7b13)
- Aaugmaj7 (AugMaj7)
- Aaug7 (Aug7)
- A9 (9)
- Amaj9 (maj9)
- Am9 (m9)
- Aadd9 (add9)
- A7b9 (7b9)
- A7#9 (7#9)
- A6/9 (6/9)
- Am6/9 (m6/9)
- Ammaj9 (m(maj9))
- A9sus4 (9sus4)
- A9b5 (9b5)
- A9#5 (9#5)
- Amadd9 (madd9)
- A7b9#9 (7b9#9)
- Asus2 (sus2)
- A11 (11)
- Amaj11 (maj11)
- Am11 (m11)
- A13 (13)
- Amaj13 (maj13)
- Am13 (m13)
- A7b13 (7b13)
- A13#11 (13#11)
- A7alt (7alt)