As a harmonic-minor tonicD♯ minor
The raised seventh inside the tonic is what lets A♯7 work as a real dominant in a minor key.
D♯m(maj7) Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The D♯m(maj7) chord is a minor major seventh chord built on the root note D♯. Its notes are D♯, F♯, A♯ and C𝄪. It's enharmonically the same chord as E♭m(maj7).
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Minor major seventh chords are unsettling in a beautiful way. A major seventh over a minor triad creates a sharp, unresolved edge best known from spy themes, Hitchcock scores and the darker corners of jazz.
- Notes
- D♯ · F♯ · A♯ · C𝄪
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · 5 · 7
- Semitones
- 0 · 3 · 7 · 11
- Note
- D♯
- Quality
- Minor Major 7
- Symbol
- D♯m(maj7)
D♯m(maj7) on piano
4 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play D♯m(maj7) on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on D♯, index finger on F♯, middle finger on A♯ and little finger on C𝄪. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard D♯, F♯ and A♯ are black keys and C𝄪 is white, the key you'd normally call D. 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
D♯m(maj7) on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, D♯m(maj7) is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 3. Don't play strings 6 and 5.
D♯ · F♯ · A♯ · C𝄪
Play D♯m(maj7) on the online piano
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D♯m(maj7) chord notes
Also known as E♭m(maj7)
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | D♯(D#) | |
| ♭3 | Minor third | 3 | F♯(F#) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | A♯(A#) | |
| 7 | Major seventh | 11 | C𝄪(C##) |
How to use the D♯m(maj7) chord
The D♯m(maj7) chord is built from a root, a minor third, a perfect fifth and a major seventh. Start at the root D♯ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: D♯, F♯, A♯ and C𝄪. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Minor major seventh chords appear in line cliches, where the top voice of a minor chord walks down from the root through the major seventh. James Bond themes, bossa nova and minor-key jazz ballads are where you meet them.
How D♯m(maj7) differs from similar chords
D♯m(maj7) combines the minor third of D♯m with the major seventh of D♯maj7. Its seventh sits a half step higher than in D♯m7, right under the root, and that is where its tense, cinematic edge comes from. It usually passes by in a line cliché between D♯m and D♯m7.
Where D♯m(maj7) is used
A minor chord works as the tonic of its own key, and as the vi or the ii of a major one. Each progression below is written in the key its numerals name.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the D♯m(maj7) chord?
- The D♯m(maj7) chord contains D♯, F♯, A♯ and C𝄪 (D#, F#, A# and C## in plain text).
- Is the D♯m(maj7) chord major or minor?
- D♯m(maj7) is a minor major seventh chord. Minor major seventh chords are unsettling in a beautiful way. A major seventh over a minor triad creates a sharp, unresolved edge best known from spy themes, Hitchcock scores and the darker corners of jazz.
- How do you play D♯m(maj7) on piano?
- Place your fingers on D♯, F♯, A♯ and C𝄪 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♯, F♯ and A♯ are black keys and C𝄪 is white, the key you'd normally call D. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play D♯m(maj7) on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 3. Don't play strings 6 and 5.
- What is another name for the D♯m(maj7) chord?
- D♯m(maj7) is enharmonically equivalent to E♭m(maj7). Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.