As the VG major
- ii7Am7
- V7♯9D7♯9
- Imaj7Gmaj7
D7♯9 is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.
D7♯9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The D7♯9 chord is a altered dominant seventh chord built on the root note D. Its notes are D, F♯, A, C and E♯.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Dominant seventh sharp nine chords sound gritty and bluesy at once, the clash of a major third against a sharp ninth that reads to the ear like a minor third. Funk, rock and soul horn sections lean hard on this one chord.
- Notes
- D · F♯ · A · C · E♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · ♭7 · ♯9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 10 · 15
- Note
- D
- Quality
- Dominant 7♯9
- Symbol
- D7♯9
D7♯9 on piano
5 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play D7♯9 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on D, index finger on F♯, middle finger on A, ring finger on C and little finger on E♯. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard F♯ is a black key and D, A, C and E♯ are white. E♯ is the key you'd normally call F. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- D1
- F♯3
- A5
- C♭7
- E♯♯9
D7♯9 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, D7♯9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 4 and 6. Don't play string 6.
D · F♯ · A · C · E♯
Try D7♯9 on the virtual piano
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D7♯9 chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | D | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | F♯(F#) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | A | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | C | |
| ♯9 | Augmented ninth | 15 | E♯(E#) |
How to use the D7♯9 chord
The D7♯9 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth, a minor seventh and an augmented ninth. Start at the root D and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: D, F♯, A, C and E♯. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Dominant seventh sharp nine chords drive funk, blues-rock and fusion as the tonic of a dominant-based vamp, not only as a V chord. Whole grooves in soul and rock guitar are built around this one chord.
How D7♯9 differs from similar chords
D7♯9 holds both a major third and a raised ninth that sounds like a minor third, so it is major and minor at once. That clash separates it from D7♭9, where the ninth is lowered, and from D9, where it is natural. Guitarists often call it the Hendrix chord.
Where D7♯9 is used
A dominant chord wants to resolve. Its home is the V of a major key - and the I of a blues, where the pull never lets up.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the D7♯9 chord?
- The D7♯9 chord contains D, F♯, A, C and E♯ (D, F#, A, C and E# in plain text).
- Is the D7♯9 chord major or minor?
- D7♯9 is a altered dominant seventh chord. Dominant seventh sharp nine chords sound gritty and bluesy at once, the clash of a major third against a sharp ninth that reads to the ear like a minor third. Funk, rock and soul horn sections lean hard on this one chord.
- How do you play D7♯9 on piano?
- Place your fingers on D, F♯, A, C and E♯ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard F♯ is a black key and D, A, C and E♯ are white. E♯ is the key you'd normally call F.
- How do you play D7♯9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 4 and 6. Don't play string 6.
- What chords work well with D7♯9?
- D7♯9 pairs naturally with the chords in the related section: a perfect fifth up or down, the relative major or minor, and anything sharing two notes with it.