D♯m7♭5 chord
D♯m7♭5 is D♯, F♯, A and C♯: 1–♭3–♭5–♭7 built on D♯. Here it is on guitar, piano and ukulele. Tap Play on any of them.
On guitar
x-x-1-2-2-2 · movable · medium
- Notes
- D♯ · F♯ · A · C♯
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
- First shape
- x-x-1-2-2-2
D♯m7♭5 on guitar: every shape, finger by finger
On piano
root position · D♯–F♯–A–C♯ · right hand 1-2-3-5
- Notes
- D♯ · F♯ · A · C♯
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
D♯m7♭5 on piano: fingering and inversions
On ukulele
2-3-2-4 · movable · medium
- Notes
- D♯ · F♯ · A · C♯
- Formula
- 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
- First shape
- 2-3-2-4
D♯m7♭5 and the chords around it
Here's what the hand does on the most common changes, on guitar and on piano.
- D♯m7♭5 → A♭7 (the iiø7 of a minor key heads to V7)
Guitar: D♯m7♭5 (x-x-1-2-2-2) to A♭7 (4-6-4-5-4-4): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 4th fret, your middle finger lands on the G string, 5th fret, the ring finger goes to the A string, 6th fret. Everything moves: lift the whole hand and place the new shape in one go. The two chords share D♯ and F♯, which is why the change sounds smooth.
Piano: D♯m7♭5 to A♭7: play A♭7 in 2nd inversion (E♭–G♭–A♭–C) and E♭ and G♭ stay under the same fingers, while A moves down to A♭ and C♯ down to C. A♭7 - D♯m7♭5 → Emaj7 (I in E major)
Guitar: D♯m7♭5 (x-x-1-2-2-2) to Emaj7 (0-2-1-1-0-0): your index finger stays put, move the middle finger to the G string, 1st fret, your ring finger lands on the A string, 2nd fret. Shared note: D♯.
Piano: D♯m7♭5 to Emaj7: play Emaj7 in 3rd inversion (D♯–E–G♯–B) and D♯ stays under the same finger, while F♯ moves down to E, A down to G♯ and C♯ down to B. Emaj7 - D♯m7♭5 → G♯m7 (iii in E major)
Guitar: D♯m7♭5 (x-x-1-2-2-2) to G♯m7 (4-6-4-4-4-4): the index finger lays across the low E to high E strings at the 4th fret, move the middle finger to the A string, 6th fret. Shared notes: D♯ and F♯.
Piano: D♯m7♭5 to G♯m7: play G♯m7 in 2nd inversion (D♯–F♯–G♯–B) and D♯ and F♯ stay under the same fingers, while A moves down to G♯ and C♯ down to B. G♯m7
How D♯m7♭5 is built
D♯m7♭5 is a half-diminished chord (minor seventh flat five). It is the natural ii chord of a minor key: D♯m7♭5 is ii in C♯ minor, where it leads to A♭7 and then home.
From D♯, go 3 half steps up to F♯, 3 half steps up to A then 4 half steps up to C♯. You may also see it as E♭m7♭5: same keys, same frets.
| Note | Role | Half steps | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| D♯ | root | 0 | |
| F♯ | minor third | 3 | |
| A | diminished fifth | 6 | |
| C♯ | minor seventh | 10 |
Keys and progressions with D♯m7♭5
You'll find D♯m7♭5 as viiø7 in E major. On the minor side it's iiø7 in C♯ minor.
Chords close to D♯m7♭5
- D♯m7♭5 and E♭m7 differ by one note: A in D♯m7♭5, B♭ in E♭m7. They share D♯, F♯ and C♯. E♭m7
Chords that share most of their notes with D♯m7♭5: F♯m6, B9, D♯dim, F♯m, Cdim7, Dmaj7.
Every D♯ chord
D♯m7♭5 chord: questions
What notes are in the D♯m7♭5 chord?
D♯, F♯, A and C♯. D♯m7♭5 is built 1–♭3–♭5–♭7 from D♯: F♯ is the minor third, A is the diminished fifth and C♯ is the minor seventh.
How do you play D♯m7♭5 on guitar?
The usual shape is x-x-1-2-2-2 (movable). All 4 guitar shapes.
How do you play D♯m7♭5 on piano?
Play D♯, F♯, A and C♯ with right-hand fingers 1-2-3-5. D♯ sits on the black key between D and E. Inversions and left hand.
How do you play D♯m7♭5 on ukulele?
2-3-2-4 in standard GCEA tuning. More ukulele shapes.
What key is D♯m7♭5 in?
You'll find D♯m7♭5 as viiø7 in E major. On the minor side it's iiø7 in C♯ minor.
What's the difference between D♯m7♭5 and E♭m7?
D♯m7♭5 and E♭m7 differ by one note: A in D♯m7♭5, B♭ in E♭m7. They share D♯, F♯ and C♯.
Diagrams and sound come from the same data, tested so they match. Updated September 2026.