vii°7 — Am7b5 7th chord — All inversions

The vii°7 (Am7b5) is a 7th chord built on the 7th scale degree of the B♭ Melodic Minor scale. Its bass-voice character changes across inversions but the chord identity stays the same.

The chord identity (root, quality) is invariant across inversions; the bass voice changes, which shifts the harmonic 'colour' and how the chord leads to its neighbours. Inversions are the bedrock of bass-line writing and voice-leading.

Pianists alternate inversions to keep the left hand moving smoothly between chords; guitarists shape voicings around fingering ergonomics; bowed strings and winds typically play individual chord tones across a section. Try all inversions above and listen for the one that fits your current passage.

A triad has three notes (root, third, fifth) — there are only three distinct bass voices to choose from. Seventh chords add a fourth note, so they get a fourth (third) inversion as well.

Each inversion engraves at the instrument's default display octave. The bass voice (the lowest note in each card above) tells you which inversion is which — root in the bass means root position; third in the bass means first inversion; and so on.