Chord name?

[Runepune]

Originally Posted by JonPR

I think if anyone wrote Em7b5 where it should be C9/E, they're making a mistake. They're ignoring a bass note, probably. But there are contextual issues that might apply.

Yeah, that's the point I'm making. Chord notes are also often omitted on guitar, so just naming a chord based on the notes present may end up wrong depending on context.

[Dalegreen]

Em7b5 for example, can also be a m7(b9b13) voicing without the root note being played. So in the case of Em7b5, you can consider it an F#7(b9b13).
Very cool way to then use it as a dominant chord with lots of resolution options.
Thinking of it as a dominant chord, F#m7(b9b13), resolve it to the Bm7 for a V-1 resolution (key of B minor)

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Dalegreen

Em7b5 for example, can also be a m7(b9b13) voicing without the root note being played. So in the case of Em7b5, you can consider it an F#7(b9b13).
Very cool way to then use it as a dominant chord with lots of resolution options.
Thinking of it as a dominant chord, F#m7(b9b13), resolve it to the Bm7 for a V-1 resolution (key of B minor)

Right - context is key (literally!) in that case. It resolves to B major very nicely too (B6/9 in this case):

-3---2------------
-3---2------------
-3---1------------
-2---1------------
-----2-----------
(2)----------------

The first chord is either an F#7alt (#5b9), or its tritone sub C9. It just happens to look like Em7b5 (or Gm6), but shouldn't be called that, in that context.