As the VA major
- ii7Bm7
- V7♯5E7♯5
- Imaj7Amaj7
E7♯5 is the chord that wants to resolve, so ending the loop on it hands straight back to the top.
E7♯5 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The E7♯5 chord is a altered dominant seventh chord built on the root note E. Its notes are E, G♯, B♯ and D.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Dominant seventh sharp five chords sound restless and a little exotic. Raising the fifth of a dominant seventh trades its usual bluesy pull for a sharper, whole-tone edge, a colour jazz and gospel players reach for right before a cadence.
- Notes
- E · G♯ · B♯ · D
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♯5 · ♭7
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 8 · 10
- Note
- E
- Quality
- Dominant 7♯5
- Symbol
- E7♯5
E7♯5 on piano
4 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play E7♯5 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on E, index finger on G♯, middle finger on B♯ and little finger on D. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard G♯ is a black key and E, B♯ and D are white. B♯ is the key you'd normally call C. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- E1
- G♯3
- B♯♯5
- D♭7
E7♯5 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, E7♯5 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Strings 6, 4 and 1 ring open.
E · G♯ · B♯ · D
Play E7♯5 on the online piano
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E7♯5 chord notes
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | E | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | G♯(G#) | |
| ♯5 | Augmented fifth | 8 | B♯(B#) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | D |
How to use the E7♯5 chord
The E7♯5 chord is built from a root, a major third, an augmented fifth and a minor seventh. Start at the root E and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: E, G♯, B♯ and D. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Dominant seventh sharp five chords turn up in jazz and gospel as an altered V7 resolving to the tonic, especially where the melody climbs through the raised fifth. They are a common sound in turnarounds right before landing back on I.
How E7♯5 differs from similar chords
E7♯5 is E7 with the fifth raised by a half step, and that raised fifth is the only difference. Seen from the other side, it is E+ with a minor seventh added. All four of its notes belong to the whole-tone scale, which gives it a floating, restless pull.
Where E7♯5 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 E7♯5 chord?
- The E7♯5 chord contains E, G♯, B♯ and D (E, G#, B# and D in plain text).
- Is the E7♯5 chord major or minor?
- E7♯5 is a altered dominant seventh chord. Dominant seventh sharp five chords sound restless and a little exotic. Raising the fifth of a dominant seventh trades its usual bluesy pull for a sharper, whole-tone edge, a colour jazz and gospel players reach for right before a cadence.
- How do you play E7♯5 on piano?
- Place your fingers on E, G♯, B♯ and D 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 G♯ is a black key and E, B♯ and D are white. B♯ is the key you'd normally call C.
- How do you play E7♯5 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. This one is a barre at fret 1: keep the index finger flat across the strings and curve the others so they don't mute the strings next to them. Strings 6, 4 and 1 ring open.
- What chords work well with E7♯5?
- E7♯5 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.