Minor 7 vs Min7♭5 (Half-Diminished)
The C minor 7 and the C min7♭5 (half-diminished) share 3 notes — C, Eb, Bb. From there, the C minor 7 adds G, while the C min7♭5 (half-diminished) adds Gb.
Ukulele, tuned low to high: G, C, E, A. 12 frets.
- G string: fret 0 G (5), fret 3 Bb (flat 7 of C Minor 7 and flat 7 of C Min7♭5 (Half-Diminished)), fret 5 C (root of C Minor 7 and root of C Min7♭5 (Half-Diminished)), fret 8 Eb (flat 3 of C Minor 7 and flat 3 of C Min7♭5 (Half-Diminished)), fret 11 Gb (flat 5), fret 12 G (5).
- C string: fret 0 C (root of C Minor 7 and root of C Min7♭5 (Half-Diminished)), fret 3 Eb (flat 3 of C Minor 7 and flat 3 of C Min7♭5 (Half-Diminished)), fret 6 Gb (flat 5), fret 7 G (5), fret 10 Bb (flat 7 of C Minor 7 and flat 7 of C Min7♭5 (Half-Diminished)), fret 12 C (root of C Minor 7 and root of C Min7♭5 (Half-Diminished)).
- E string: fret 2 Gb (flat 5), fret 3 G (5), fret 6 Bb (flat 7 of C Minor 7 and flat 7 of C Min7♭5 (Half-Diminished)), fret 8 C (root of C Minor 7 and root of C Min7♭5 (Half-Diminished)), fret 11 Eb (flat 3 of C Minor 7 and flat 3 of C Min7♭5 (Half-Diminished)).
- A string: fret 1 Bb (flat 7 of C Minor 7 and flat 7 of C Min7♭5 (Half-Diminished)), fret 3 C (root of C Minor 7 and root of C Min7♭5 (Half-Diminished)), fret 6 Eb (flat 3 of C Minor 7 and flat 3 of C Min7♭5 (Half-Diminished)), fret 9 Gb (flat 5), fret 10 G (5).
Both scales above are drawn on one ukulele fretboard in the key of C. Notes belonging to both are drawn as a split two-color dot, so the notes they share and the notes unique to each are visible in one picture.
How the formulas differ
Scale degrees are the key-independent way to compare two scales — these stay the same in every key, and they are what actually distinguishes one scale from another.
| Scale | Degrees |
|---|---|
| Minor 7 | R · b3 · 5 · b7 |
| Min7♭5 (Half-Diminished) | R · b3 · b5 · b7 |
Notes in common
| Note | In Minor 7 | In Min7♭5 (Half-Diminished) |
|---|---|---|
| C | R | R |
| Eb | b3 | b3 |
| Bb | b7 | b7 |
Notes that differ
- Only in the minor 7: G (5)
- Only in the min7♭5 (half-diminished): Gb (b5)