D♯7♯9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The D♯7♯9 chord is a altered dominant seventh chord built on the root note D♯. Its notes are D♯, F𝄪, A♯, C♯ and E𝄪. It's enharmonically the same chord as E♭7♯9.
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
- D♯7♯9
D♯7♯9 on piano
5 notes
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play D♯7♯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 D♯, A♯, C♯ and E𝄪 are black keys and F𝄪 is white, the key you'd normally call G. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- D♯1
- F𝄪3
- A♯5
- C♯♭7
- E𝄪♯9
D♯7♯9 on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, D♯7♯9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 5 and 7. Don't play string 6.
D♯ · F𝄪 · A♯ · C♯ · E𝄪
Play D♯7♯9 on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
D♯7♯9 chord notes
Also known as E♭7♯9
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | D♯(D#) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | F𝄪(F##) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | A♯(A#) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | C♯(C#) | |
| ♯9 | Augmented ninth | 15 | E𝄪(E##) |
How to use the D♯7♯9 chord
The D♯7♯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 D♯7♯9 differs from similar chords
D♯7♯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 D♯7♭9, where the ninth is lowered, and from D♯9, where it is natural. Guitarists often call it the Hendrix chord.
Where D♯7♯9 is used
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key D♯7♯9 would have a function in has a tonic that needs a double accidental, which is not a key this library teaches. The enharmonic spelling carries the same chord in a key that exists.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the D♯7♯9 chord?
- The D♯7♯9 chord contains D♯, F𝄪, A♯, C♯ and E𝄪 (D#, F##, A#, C# and E## in plain text).
- Is the D♯7♯9 chord major or minor?
- D♯7♯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 D♯7♯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 D♯, A♯, C♯ and E𝄪 are black keys and F𝄪 is white, the key you'd normally call G. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play D♯7♯9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 5 and 7. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the D♯7♯9 chord?
- D♯7♯9 is enharmonically equivalent to E♭7♯9. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.