Sevenths
D♯ minor 7th chord
Smooth and soulful; a staple of jazz, R&B and funk.
D♯m7 is the ii7 chord in D♭ major, iii7 in B major and vi7 in F♯ major. In minor keys: i7 in E♭ minor and iv7 in B♭ minor.
- Notes
- D♯F♯A♯C♯
- Formula
- 1♭35♭7
- Built from
- root · minor 3rd · perfect 5th · minor 7th
How to play D♯m7
About the D♯ minor 7th chord
Playing it
On guitar, the usual D♯m7 shape is xx1322 at the 1st fret. It has no open strings, so it’s a movable shape — slide it along the neck for other minor 7th chords. Don’t strum the low E and A strings.
On piano, every note of D♯m7 is a black key.
On ukulele the usual D♯m7 shape is 6666, with the index finger barring all four strings at the 6th fret.
Related chords
Take away the root and the other three notes form F♯ (F♯ A♯ C♯) — so you can think of D♯m7 as F♯ with D♯ added underneath.
D♯m7 contains exactly the same notes as F♯6. Which name fits depends on which note is in the bass and what key you’re in.
Move a single note and D♯m7 becomes a different chord: drop the C♯ for D♯m, raise F♯ to F𝄪 for D♯7, lower C♯ to B♯ for D♯m6 and swap F♯ for G♯ for D♯7sus4.
Where you’ll hear it
You’ll find D♯m7 in common progressions such as D♯m7–G♯7–C♯maj7 (the jazz cadence in C♯ major).
