As the leading-tone chordE major
- vii°D♯°
- IE
Every note pulls inward into E by a semitone or a tone. This is the chord's primary function.
D♯ Diminished Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The D♯ Diminished chord is built on the root note D♯. Its notes are D♯, F♯ and A. It's enharmonically the same chord as E♭ Diminished.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Diminished chords sound unstable and suspenseful. Two stacked minor thirds create a tight, dissonant tension that composers use for passing chords, horror scores and dramatic turnarounds.
- Notes
- D♯ · F♯ · A
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 6
- Note
- D♯
- Quality
- Diminished
- Symbol
- D♯°
D♯ Diminished on piano
3 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play D♯ Diminished on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on D♯, middle finger on F♯ and little finger on A. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard D♯ and F♯ are black keys and A is white. 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
D♯ Diminished on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, D♯ Diminished is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 6 and 8. Don't play strings 6 and 1.
D♯ · F♯ · A
Play D♯ Diminished on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
D♯ Diminished chord notes
Also known as E♭ Diminished
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | D♯(D#) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | F♯(F#) | |
| ♭5 | Diminished fifth | 6 | A |
How to use the D♯ Diminished chord
The D♯ Diminished chord is built from a root, a minor third and a diminished fifth. Start at the root D♯ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: D♯, F♯ and A. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Diminished chords are passing tools in classical, jazz, bluegrass and film music. They're often used as vii° leading to the tonic or as chromatic passing chords between diatonic chords.
In major keys D♯° is the vii° in E major; in minor keys it's the ii° in C♯ minor.
How D♯ Diminished differs from similar chords
D♯° is D♯m with the fifth lowered by a half step, and that flat fifth is the whole difference. Add a minor seventh and you get D♯m7♭5, add a diminished seventh and you get the fully symmetrical D♯°7. On its own it is the leading-tone chord (vii°) of the major key a half step up.
Where D♯ Diminished is used
A diminished chord is a tension chord. It works as the leading-tone chord of a key, and as a dominant seventh with its root left out.
Scales that contain D♯°
These scales include D♯° as one of their diatonic chords. Use them to find melodies and improvisation ideas that fit perfectly.
C♯ Natural Minor
C♯ · D♯ · E · F♯ · G♯ · A · B
C♯ Harmonic Minor
C♯ · D♯ · E · F♯ · G♯ · A · B♯
C♯ Aeolian
C♯ · D♯ · E · F♯ · G♯ · A · B
C♯ Harmonic Major
C♯ · D♯ · E♯ · F♯ · G♯ · A · B♯
C♯ Hindu
C♯ · D♯ · E♯ · F♯ · G♯ · A · B
C♯ Arabian
C♯ · D♯ · E♯ · F♯ · G · A · B
E Major
E · F♯ · G♯ · A · B · C♯ · D♯
E Harmonic Minor
E · F♯ · G · A · B · C · D♯
E Melodic Minor
E · F♯ · G · A · B · C♯ · D♯
E Harmonic Major
E · F♯ · G♯ · A · B · C · D♯
F♯ Melodic Minor
F♯ · G♯ · A · B · C♯ · D♯ · E♯
F♯ Dorian
F♯ · G♯ · A · B · C♯ · D♯ · E
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the D♯ Diminished chord?
- The D♯ Diminished chord contains D♯, F♯ and A (D#, F# and A in plain text).
- Is the D♯ Diminished chord major or minor?
- D♯ Diminished is a diminished chord. Diminished chords sound unstable and suspenseful. Two stacked minor thirds create a tight, dissonant tension that composers use for passing chords, horror scores and dramatic turnarounds.
- What key is the D♯ Diminished chord in?
- In major keys D♯° is the vii° in E major; in minor keys it's the ii° in C♯ minor.
- How do you play D♯ Diminished on piano?
- Place your fingers on D♯, F♯ and A 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♯ and F♯ are black keys and A is white. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play D♯ Diminished on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 6 and 8. Don't play strings 6 and 1.
- What is another name for the D♯ Diminished chord?
- D♯ Diminished is enharmonically equivalent to E♭ Diminished. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.