D♯maj9 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The D♯maj9 chord is a major ninth chord built on the root note D♯. Its notes are D♯, F𝄪, A♯, C𝄪 and E♯. It's enharmonically the same chord as E♭maj9.
Major ninth chords are lush and floating. A major seventh chord with a ninth added, they are one of the sweetest sounds in jazz and neo-soul, warm enough to sit still on for a whole bar.
- Notes
- D♯ · F𝄪 · A♯ · C𝄪 · E♯
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 9
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 7 · 11 · 14
- Note
- D♯
- Quality
- Major 9
- Symbol
- D♯maj9
D♯maj9 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♯maj9 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♯ and A♯ are black keys and F𝄪, C𝄪 and E♯ are white, the keys you'd normally call G, D and F. 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♯maj9 on guitar
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, D♯maj9 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 3 and 6. String 3 rings open. Don't play string 6.
D♯ · F𝄪 · A♯ · C𝄪 · E♯
Try D♯maj9 on the virtual piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
D♯maj9 chord notes
Also known as E♭maj9
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | D♯(D#) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | F𝄪(F##) | |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | 7 | A♯(A#) | |
| 7 | Major seventh | 11 | C𝄪(C##) | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | E♯(E#) |
How to use the D♯maj9 chord
The D♯maj9 chord is built from a root, a major third, a perfect fifth, a major seventh and a major 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.
Major ninth chords work as the I or IV chord where a major seventh would do, adding depth without changing the function. Bossa nova, jazz, soul and R&B treat them as a default tonic sound.
How D♯maj9 differs from similar chords
D♯maj9 stacks a major ninth on D♯maj7, and it differs from D♯9 only in the seventh, a half step higher. Without that major seventh it would be D♯add9. Its upper four notes form the minor seventh chord a major third above the root, which is how pianists often voice it.
Where D♯maj9 is used
No progression is shown for this spelling
Every key D♯maj9 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♯maj9 chord?
- The D♯maj9 chord contains D♯, F𝄪, A♯, C𝄪 and E♯ (D#, F##, A#, C## and E# in plain text).
- Is the D♯maj9 chord major or minor?
- D♯maj9 is a major ninth chord. Major ninth chords are lush and floating. A major seventh chord with a ninth added, they are one of the sweetest sounds in jazz and neo-soul, warm enough to sit still on for a whole bar.
- How do you play D♯maj9 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♯ and A♯ are black keys and F𝄪, C𝄪 and E♯ are white, the keys you'd normally call G, D and F. The thumb starts on a black key, so slide the whole hand a little further in, towards the fallboard.
- How do you play D♯maj9 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 3 and 6. String 3 rings open. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the D♯maj9 chord?
- D♯maj9 is enharmonically equivalent to E♭maj9. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.