The D♯ Minor 7th chord is a four-note chord made up of D♯, F♯, A♯, and C♯. It is built from a root, minor third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh.
Construction
| Note | Interval | Degree |
|---|---|---|
| D♯ | Root | 1 |
| F♯ | Minor 3rd | ♭3 |
| A♯ | Perfect 5th | 5 |
| C♯ | Minor 7th | ♭7 |
D♯ Minor 7th Inversions
| Position | Notes |
|---|---|
| Root Position | D♯ – F♯ – A♯ – C♯ |
| 1st Inversion | F♯ – A♯ – C♯ – D♯ |
| 2nd Inversion | A♯ – C♯ – D♯ – F♯ |
| 3rd Inversion | C♯ – D♯ – F♯ – A♯ |
Key Signature
A chord has no key signature of its own, but the D♯ Minor 7th is the tonic (i) chord of D# Minor, which shares the signature of its relative major, F# Major — 6 sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯).
Order of sharps
Sharps are added to a key signature in a fixed order. Each new sharp key adds the next sharp on the list.
Mnemonic: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle
Chords in the Key of D♯ Minor
These are the triads built on each degree of the D♯ minor scale:
How D♯ Minor 7th functions in a key
The same chord takes on a different harmonic role depending on the key it appears in. Here is where D♯ Minor 7th sits diatonically across the common keys:
- In F♯ major, D♯ Minor 7th is the vi chord — the tonic.
- In D♯ minor, D♯ Minor 7th is the i chord — the tonic.
- In C♯ major, D♯ Minor 7th is the ii chord — a predominant.
- In A♯ minor, D♯ Minor 7th is the iv chord — a predominant.
- In B major, D♯ Minor 7th is the iii chord — a mediant / color chord.
- In G♯ minor, D♯ Minor 7th is the v chord.
Same Notes, Other Names
The notes D♯ – F♯ – A♯ – C♯ aren’t exclusive to this chord. Depending on which note is the bass and how the chord functions, the same pitches also spell: