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A piano reference: chords, scales, theory. Full MIDI.

D♯ Minor Major 7th

Notes: D♯ - F♯ - A♯ - C♯♯ | Degrees: 1 - ♭3 - 5 - 7 | Written: D♯m(maj7), D♯mM7, D♯minMaj7

Construction: Root, Minor 3rd, Perfect 5th, Major 7th

It is a minor triad with an added major 7th, giving it a dark and complex character with strong tension, often used in jazz and minor key progressions

Fingering: RH 2-3-4-5, LH 5-4-3-2

Inversions: Root D♯m(maj7) - 1st D♯m(maj7)/F♯ - 2nd D♯m(maj7)/A♯ - 3rd D♯m(maj7)/C♯♯

E♭ Minor Major 7th
This is the same chord as E♭ Minor Major 7th: the same keys on the keyboard, spelled with flats.
Related boards
D♯mMaj711 st, 151.0 mmRoot position, figured bass 7

D♯3, F♯3, A♯3, C×4

Fingerings

Root position: either hand, fingers low note to high
HandNotesFingers
RightD♯, F♯, A♯, C×2-3-4-5
LeftD♯, F♯, A♯, C×5-4-3-2

Close-position standard fingering: either hand takes the whole shape. Thumb is 1, little finger is 5.

D♯ Minor Major 7th: notes and degrees

D♯mMaj7 contains D♯, F♯, A♯ and C×. A minor triad with the major seventh added on top.

Scale degree, note, and interval measured from the root.
DegreeNoteInterval from rootSemitones
1D♯Perfect unison0
♭3F♯Minor third3
5A♯Perfect fifth7
7Major seventh11

D♯, F♯ and A♯ are black keys; C× is white.

Construction

D♯ Minor Major 7th = Root + Minor 3rd + Perfect 5th + Major 7th = D♯, F♯, A♯, C♯♯
NoteIntervalDegree
D♯Root1
F♯Minor 3rd♭3
A♯Perfect 5th5
C♯♯Major 7th7

Fingering

NoteKey colorRight handLeft hand
D♯blackindex finger (2)little finger (5)
F♯blackmiddle finger (3)ring finger (4)
A♯blackring finger (4)middle finger (3)
C♯♯whitelittle finger (5)index finger (2)

Right hand: index finger (2) on D♯, middle finger (3) on F♯, ring finger (4) on A♯, little finger (5) on C♯♯.

Left hand: little finger (5) on D♯, ring finger (4) on F♯, middle finger (3) on A♯, index finger (2) on C♯♯.

D♯ Minor Major 7th Inversions

  • Root position
    D♯ – F♯ – A♯ – C♯♯
  • 1st inversion (D♯m(maj7)/F♯)
    F♯ – A♯ – C♯♯ – D♯
  • 2nd inversion (D♯m(maj7)/A♯)
    A♯ – C♯♯ – D♯ – F♯
  • 3rd inversion (D♯m(maj7)/C♯♯)
    C♯♯ – D♯ – F♯ – A♯

Key Signature

A chord has no key signature of its own, but the D♯ Minor Major 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♯).

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.

FCGDAEB

Mnemonic: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle

Chords in the Key of D♯ Minor

These are the triads built on each degree of D♯ Minor:

C1C2C3C4C5C6C7C8D♯F♯A♯
iD♯ Minor (minor)
DegreeNumeralChordQuality
1iD♯ MinorMinor
2ii°E♯ DiminishedDiminished
3IIIF♯ MajorMajor
4ivG♯ MinorMinor
5vA♯ MinorMinor
6VIB MajorMajor
7VIIC♯ MajorMajor

Looking for D♯m7? See the D♯ minor 7th piano chord.

D♯ Minor Major 7th : Frequently Asked Questions

What is the D♯ Minor Major 7th chord on piano?
The D♯ Minor Major 7th chord contains the notes D♯ – F♯ – A♯ – C♯♯. On piano, play these notes together to sound the chord.
What is the D# piano chord?
The D# piano chord (written D♯ Minor Major 7th) uses the same keys: D♯ – F♯ – A♯ – C♯♯. The # and ♯ symbols name the same black key.
What notes are in the D# Minor Major 7th chord?
D# Minor Major 7th is built from the D# root. Check the interactive keyboard above for exact notes and fingering.
How is the D# Minor Major 7th chord used in music?
D# Minor Major 7th appears in jazz, pop, and classical contexts. Its sound depends on the chord quality (Minor Major 7th).
What is the fingering for D# Minor Major 7th?
See the fingering chart above. Right hand typically uses thumb on root. Left hand uses pinky on root.
What are the inversions of D# Minor Major 7th?
Use the inversion buttons above to see each inversion with notes, fingering, and staff notation.
Why does D# Minor Major 7th sound so tense?
The minor third and major seventh are only a semitone apart when inverted, creating dramatic tension.

D♯ Minor Major 7th in detail

Exact

Every pitch class is present and nothing outside the chord is added.

TypeNotesSemitonesSpanOmissions and additionsSet relationFit
Close, root positionD♯3 F♯3 A♯3 C×411151 mmnoneidentical
Close, first inversionF♯3 A♯3 C×4 D♯49124 mmnoneidentical
Close, second inversionA♯3 C×4 D♯4 F♯48110 mmnoneidentical
Close, third inversionC×4 D♯4 F♯4 A♯48110 mmnoneidentical
Drop 2A♯2 D♯3 F♯3 C×416220 mmnoneidentical
Drop 3F♯2 D♯3 A♯3 C×420275 mmnoneidentical
Drop 2 and 4D♯2 A♯2 F♯3 C×423316 mmnoneidentical

Reduced

A subset of the pitch classes: the identity is incomplete rather than altered.

TypeNotesSemitonesSpanOmissions and additionsSet relationFit
Shell, root 7 ♭3D♯2 C×3 F♯315206 mmomits A♯subset
Guide tones, ♭3 and 7F♯3 C×48110 mmomits D♯ and A♯subset
Rootless closeF♯3 A♯3 C×48110 mmomits D♯subset

Spans are measured centre to centre at a 165 mm octave (standard keyboard geometry).

Change one note

Chords a single note away, and what moving that note does.

ChordChangeFormulaCommon tones
D♯mdrops C×1 ♭3 53
D♯maj7F♯ becomes F×1 3 5 73
D♯m7C× becomes C♯1 ♭3 5 ♭73
D♯m6C× becomes B♯1 ♭3 5 63
D♯maj9F♯ becomes F×, E♯1 3 5 7 93
D♯m9C× becomes C♯, E♯1 ♭3 5 ♭7 93
D♯F♯, C× becomes F×1 3 52
D♯dimA♯, C× becomes A1 ♭3 ♭52
D♯sus2F♯, C× becomes E♯1 2 52
D♯sus4F♯, C× becomes G♯1 4 52
D♯7F♯, C× becomes F×, C♯1 3 5 ♭72
D♯m7♭5A♯, C× becomes A, C♯1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭72

Frequencies

NoteMIDIFrequency
D♯351155.56 Hz
F♯354185.00 Hz
A♯358233.08 Hz
C×462293.66 Hz

Reference pitch A440, 12-TET, close root position.

Set theory: prime form, Forte number, interval vector
Absolute pitch class set
{3, 6, 10, 2}
Normal order
[2, 3, 6, 10]
Prime form
(0148)
Forte number
4-19
Interval vector
<101310>
PairIntervalSemitonesInterval class
D♯ to F♯Minor third33
D♯ to A♯Perfect fifth75
D♯ to C×Major seventh111
F♯ to A♯Major third44
F♯ to C×Minor sixth84
A♯ to C×Major third44

Where these facts come from

Every value on this page is derived from the note formula for a minor major 7th applied to the root D♯, using standard music theory. Nothing here is hand-entered per chord, so the notes, intervals, inversions and frequencies cannot drift out of agreement with each other. Pitches assume 12-TET at A440.