Guitar chord · Triads

D♯ major chord on guitar

6 ways to play D♯ on guitar, with finger positions, tabs and step-by-step instructions.

Bright, stable and resolved — the foundation of most songs.

D♯ is the I chord in E♭ major, IV in B♭ major and V in A♭ major. In minor keys: III in C minor, V in G♯ minor, VI in G minor and VII in F minor.

Spell as E♭

Guitar

Standard tuning (E A D G B E) · 6 voicings · E string on the left · Other tunings →

Left-handed

Lay your index finger (1) flat across 5 strings at the 6th fret — this is the barre.
6th string (low E): don’t play — mute it
5th string (A): 6th fret, held by the barre D♯
4th string (D): 8th fret, middle finger (2) A♯
3rd string (G): 8th fret, ring finger (3) D♯
2nd string (B): 8th fret, pinky finger (4) F𝄪
1st string (high E): 6th fret, held by the barre A♯

e|--6---|
B|--8---|
G|--8---|
D|--8---|
A|--6---|
E|--x---|

Top line is the high E string. x = don’t play, 0 = open string.

Bright dots are the selected voicing — the rest are other places you can find the same chord tones.

There’s no open-string way to play D♯ on guitar with the root in the bass, so the standard shape is a barre across the 6th fret (x68886).

You’ll find D♯ in common progressions such as E♭–B♭–Cm–A♭ (the pop progression in E♭ major), E♭–A♭–B♭–A♭ (three-chord rock in E♭ major) and E♭–Cm–A♭–B♭ (the ’50s progression in E♭ major).