Piano chord · also written E♭m7♭5

D♯ Half-Diminished 7th Piano Chord (D♯m7♭5)

The D♯ Half-Diminished 7th chord on piano is made of the notes D♯, F♯, A and C♯. Bittersweet tension. Used as the ii chord in minor keys.

D♯ Half-Diminished 7th chord on a piano keyboard: D♯, F♯, A, C♯ C4C5 D♯ F♯ A C♯

D♯m7♭5 D♯ – F♯ – A – C♯

Tap any key to hear it.

Name any chord from its keys in the chord finder →

What notes are in D♯ Half-Diminished 7th?

4 notes, built 1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭7 up from D♯.

Notes
D♯ – F♯ – A – C♯
Formula
1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭7
Semitones from the root
0 – 3 – 6 – 10
Symbol
D♯m7♭5
Same keys as
E♭m7♭5 (E♭ – G♭ – A – D♭)
Chord type
Half-Diminished 7th, 4 notes

How to play D♯ Half-Diminished 7th on piano

  • Right hand: D♯ (1), F♯ (2), A (3), C♯ (5). Fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5, thumb on D♯.
  • Left hand: D♯ (5), F♯ (3), A (2), C♯ (1). Fingers 5 – 3 – 2 – 1, little finger on D♯.

Fingers are numbered 1 (thumb) to 5 (little finger) on both hands.

Advertisement

D♯ Half-Diminished 7th inversions

Each inversion puts a different note of the chord in the bass. Written as a slash chord: D♯m7♭5/F♯, D♯m7♭5/A, D♯m7♭5/C♯.

D♯ Half-Diminished 7th root position on piano: D♯, F♯, A, C♯ D♯ F♯ A C♯
Root position D♯m7♭5 D♯ – F♯ – A – C♯ RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1
D♯ Half-Diminished 7th 1st inversion on piano: F♯, A, C♯, D♯ F♯ A C♯ D♯
1st inversion D♯m7♭5/F♯ F♯ – A – C♯ – D♯ RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1
D♯ Half-Diminished 7th 2nd inversion on piano: A, C♯, D♯, F♯ A C♯ D♯ F♯
2nd inversion D♯m7♭5/A A – C♯ – D♯ – F♯ RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1
D♯ Half-Diminished 7th 3rd inversion on piano: C♯, D♯, F♯, A C♯ D♯ F♯ A
3rd inversion D♯m7♭5/C♯ C♯ – D♯ – F♯ – A RH 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 · LH 5 – 3 – 2 – 1

Progressions with D♯ Half-Diminished 7th

Press play: the chords move across the keyboard as they sound, voiced so your hand barely moves.

Minor ii–V–i

in C♯ minor

  1. iiø7 D♯m7♭5
  2. V7 A♭7
  3. i C♯m
Minor ii–V–i in C♯ minor: D♯m7♭5, A♭7, C♯m C♯ D♯ F♯ A

Leading-tone seventh

in E major

  1. ii7 F♯m7
  2. viiø7 D♯m7♭5
  3. Imaj7 Emaj7
Leading-tone seventh in E major: F♯m7, D♯m7♭5, Emaj7 C♯ E F♯ A

Can you find D♯ Half-Diminished 7th?

Tap the notes on the keyboard, then check. Six chords, starting with this one.

1 / 6 Tap the notes of D♯ Half-Diminished 7th (D♯m7♭5)

Score 0

Any octave, any order. Each key you tap plays.

Practice keyboard: tap the notes of the chord

What key is D♯ Half-Diminished 7th in?

The keys whose scale contains every note of D♯m7♭5, with the chord’s Roman numeral in each.

Major keys

  • E majorviiø7

Minor keys

  • C♯ minoriiø7

D♯ Half-Diminished 7th chord FAQ

What notes are in the D♯ Half-Diminished 7th chord?

D♯ Half-Diminished 7th (D♯m7♭5) has 4 notes: D♯, F♯, A and C♯. Its formula is 1 – ♭3 – ♭5 – ♭7, counted up from D♯.

How do you play D♯ Half-Diminished 7th on the piano?

Put your right thumb on D♯ and play D♯, F♯, A and C♯ with fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 5. With the left hand, use fingers 5 – 3 – 2 – 1, little finger on D♯.

Is D♯ Half-Diminished 7th the same as E♭ Half-Diminished 7th?

On the piano, yes: E♭m7♭5 (E♭, G♭, A, D♭) uses exactly the same keys as D♯m7♭5 (D♯, F♯, A, C♯). Which name is used depends on the key of the piece; D♯m7♭5 is the more common spelling.

What are the inversions of D♯ Half-Diminished 7th?

1st inversion: F♯, A, C♯, D♯ (D♯m7♭5/F♯). 2nd inversion: A, C♯, D♯, F♯ (D♯m7♭5/A). 3rd inversion: C♯, D♯, F♯, A (D♯m7♭5/C♯).

What key is D♯ Half-Diminished 7th in?

D♯m7♭5 belongs to E major (viiø7) and C♯ minor (iiø7).

Other D♯ chords

Half-Diminished 7th chords on every root

Piano chord chart: all 264 chords Open D♯m7♭5 in the chord finder Free PDF chord chart Play it on the virtual piano