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Guitar chords · Diminished 7th

D♯°7 chord on guitar (D#dim7)

D♯°7 (D♯ ) has four notes: D♯, F♯, A and C, the , ♭3, ♭5 and 𝄫7.

Shapes

How to play D♯°7

Strum a shape to hear it, or pick it one string at a time. R marks the ; the other numbers are the chord tones.

D♯°7 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 6 or the E shape at fret 11. A keeps its fingering anywhere on the neck: slide it up or down and the , on the lowest played string, names the chord.

  • A shape · fret 6

    5fr××R♭5𝄫7♭3D♯ACF♯
  • E shape · fret 11

    11frR♭5R♭3𝄫7RD♯AD♯F♯CD♯
Name a shape you're holding: the chord finder

Notes and formula

What makes D♯°7 diminished 7th

A chord stacks three minor 3rds, so every note is the same distance from the next. It is the vii°7 of the and pulls hard to the chord a above its .

  • 1Root: the note the chord is named after. Keep it.
  • 3Essential: makes the chord what it is. Never drop it.
  • 5Optional: drop it first when you run out of fingers.

The ♭3rd, the ♭5th and the 𝄫7th make D♯°7 a chord.

  1. D♯Rroot
  2. F♯♭3essential
  3. A♭5essential
  4. C𝄫7essential
EADGBE0135791215D♯D♯D♯D♯D♯D♯D♯F♯ACF♯ACF♯ACF♯ACACF♯ACF♯ACF♯ACF♯
  • D♯, the root
  • Other chord tones

D♯°7 usually resolves up a to E or Em, the chord it leads into. Its four notes are evenly spaced, so the same shape also works as F♯°7, A°7 and C°7, leading to G, B♭ and D♭.

D♯°7 and E♭°7 are the same chord with two names: same , same sound. Which one you see depends on the key the song is written in.

Keys

Keys with D♯°7

D♯°7 belongs to one key: E minor (vii°7, ).

Numerals follow the key's own scale, so III, VI and VII in a minor key are its own major chords. A ♭ or ♯ in front marks a chord from outside the key. How Roman numerals work

Slash chords

D♯°7 over another bass note

A keeps D♯°7 on top and puts another note in the bass: the letter after the slash is the lowest note you play.

  • D♯°7/F♯

    D♯°7 with its ♭3rd, F♯, in the bass: the first inversion.

  • D♯°7/A

    D♯°7 with its ♭5th, A, in the bass: the second inversion.

  • D♯°7/C

    D♯°7 with its 𝄫7th, C, in the bass: the third inversion.

Questions

D♯°7, in short

What notes are in the D♯°7 chord?
D♯°7 (D♯ ) has four notes: D♯, F♯, A and C, the , ♭3, ♭5 and 𝄫7.
How do you play D♯°7 on guitar?
D♯°7 has no common . Play it as the A shape at 6 or the E shape at fret 11.
What key is D♯°7 in?
D♯°7 belongs to one key: E minor (vii°7, ).
Is D♯°7 the same as E♭°7?
Yes: same frets, same sound, different name. D♯°7 is the spelling in E minor. No key on the circle spells it E♭°7, so you will rarely see that name.
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