D# Dominant 7th (D#7)

Also written as Eb Dominant 7th (Eb and D# are the same key).

1+3+5+b7
GD#A#C#
4 4
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Notes in D# Dominant 7th

D# (root)GA#C#

Inversions

Same notes as D# Dominant 7th, with a different chord tone as the lowest note. Useful for smoother movement between chords instead of jumping around the keyboard.

Root position

D# in the bass

GD#A#C#

1st inversion

G in the bass

GA#C#D#

2nd inversion

A# in the bass

GA#C#D#

3rd inversion

C# in the bass

GC#D#A#

Open voicings

A close-position chord like D# Dominant 7th can sound cluttered in the middle of the keyboard. Jazz players open it up by dropping one note down an octave, spreading the same notes wider without changing the chord.

Drop 2

A# on the bottom

GD#C#

Drop 3

G on the bottom

D#A#C#

D# Dominant 7th consists of D#, G, A# and C#, played at the same time.

A major triad with a minor seventh stacked on top, this is the workhorse chord of blues and functional harmony. Hiding between its third and seventh is a tritone, the same restless interval that gives the chord its itchy pull toward whichever chord sits a fifth below.

Difficulty: Intermediate. Category: Seventh chords. Click any key on the diagram above to hear that single note.