D#maj7 Chord on Guitar
D#maj7 = D# – G – A# – D (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, Major 7th)
D#maj7, more commonly written Ebmaj7, sits at the same high eleventh-fret position every D#-rooted barre reaches, built from the open E-major-seventh shape rather than the plain major triad. That one extra fretted note gives it a noticeably smoother, jazzier color than the plain major chord occupying the same fret.
D#, G, A#, and D make up the chord — root, third, fifth, major seventh. As Imaj7 of Eb major it's the lush, unresolved-sounding tonic color favored in jazz and neo-soul writing, where a plain major triad would sound too simple for the surrounding harmony; the major seventh sits right next to the root, creating a gentle dissonance that never quite settles the way a plain triad does.
Fingerings
Barre (11th fret)
How to Practice It
Two extra fingers are needed, both close together on the A and D strings, making this one of the more compact shapes in the eleventh-fret family despite its jazzy name — the physical demand is really just the barre itself plus a small two-finger addition. Because the high position already compresses the string spacing, listen carefully for whether the major seventh interval (between the barre note and the D-string note) is ringing clean and distinct, since that close half-step relationship is the entire character of the chord and it's the first thing that gets muddy if the barre isn't pressing evenly.
Common Progressions
- Ebmaj7 – Abmaj7 – Bb – Ebmaj7 (I – IV – V – I in Eb major)
- Cm7 – Fm7 – Bb7 – Ebmaj7 (vi – ii – V7 – Imaj7)
- Ebmaj7 – Cm7 (I – vi, a soft tonic-to-relative-minor move)
- Ebmaj7 – Abmaj7 (I – IV, both major sevenths)
FAQ
- Why does D#maj7 sound smoother than plain D# major?
- The added major seventh sits a half step below the root's octave, creating a gentle internal tension that never fully resolves the way a plain triad does, giving the chord its characteristically lush, unsettled color.
- Is D#maj7 the same as Ebmaj7?
- Yes, identical chord — Ebmaj7 is simply the standard spelling in flat-key contexts, which is how this chord almost always appears in real sheet music and chord charts.
- Is D#maj7 easier or harder to finger than plain D# major?
- Marginally easier in one sense — both need two extra fingers, but D#maj7's are closer together, making it a slightly more compact, less spread-out shape than the plain major triad at the same fret.
- Where does D#maj7 function diatonically?
- As the tonic seventh chord (Imaj7) of Eb major, the lush, jazz-flavored version of the plain I chord, used whenever a songwriter wants the tonic to feel warm and settled but not blunt.
- How does D#maj7 differ in feel from D#7 (the dominant version)?
- D#7's flat seventh creates real pulling tension that wants to resolve elsewhere, while D#maj7's major seventh creates a much gentler, more settled dissonance that can comfortably sit as a final or resting chord in its own right.
- Is there a lower-position way to reach this chord?
- An A-shape major-seventh barre reaches the same pitches around the sixth fret, which some players find more accessible than the high eleventh-fret E-shape version, especially on guitars without a cutaway.
- Why is Ebmaj7 associated with jazz and neo-soul rather than rock guitar?
- Major-seventh tonic chords in general favor styles built around smoother, more harmonically complex color, and Eb major specifically is a favorite key in horn-driven jazz and soul writing, so guitarists in those genres reach for this exact chord far more often than rock or folk players do.
D#maj7 on other instruments: D#maj7 on Piano, D#maj7 on Ukulele. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.