D#7 Chord on Ukulele
D#7 = D# – G – A# – C# (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, Minor 7th)
D sharp seventh spreads its four notes further across the neck than most of this key's other chords: the open G string still supplies the third for free, but the root, fifth, and flatted seventh each need their own individual finger, landing on the third, sixth, and fourth frets respectively with no barre available to simplify any of it. It's a real four-corner stretch, reaching all the way to the sixth fret on the E string while the open G string sits untouched right beside it.
As a dominant seventh, D#7 carries the same built-in urge to resolve that every dominant chord has — its flatted seventh and third form a tritone that wants to close inward, pulling toward G# major. Respelled as Eb7, it's far more commonly encountered that way, resolving to Ab in the classic V7-I cadence of that key, a progression that shows up regularly in ukulele charts adapted from brass-band or big-band material written in flat keys. The open G string keeps a thread of genuine ring running through an otherwise fully fretted, tense-sounding chord.
Fingerings
Open Position
How to Practice It
Because the four fretted notes sit at genuinely different frets with no shortcut barre, build this one from the widest reach inward: place the E string's sixth-fret note first, then work back toward the nut, checking that each addition doesn't disturb what's already placed. The Eb7-to-Ab resolution (its more common flat-key identity) is worth practicing slowly on its own, since hearing the tritone's pull resolve is the whole point of learning a dominant seventh chord in an unfamiliar position.
Common Progressions
- Respelled Eb7 - Ab, the classic V7 - I cadence
- V7 - I in the rare key of G# (D#7 - G#)
- I - Eb7 - Ab, a bluesy borrowed dominant resolving into a flat-key IV
- A brief D#7 tension chord resolving to G# before returning to a home key.
FAQ
- Why does D#7 need such a wide stretch?
- Its four notes don't cluster together at any single low position, so each one needs its own fret, with the E string's sixth-fret note reaching the furthest from the nut.
- What's D#7's more common spelling?
- Eb7 — the spelling almost universally used in real ukulele charts, since flat-key dominant sevenths are rarely written with sharps in practice.
- How does the open G string help this chord?
- It supplies the third for free, the same coincidence that makes plain D# major and several of its relatives easier than they'd otherwise be.
- Is D#7 harder to play than D#m7?
- About the same overall, though the specific frets differ — D#7 spreads root, fifth, and seventh across the third, sixth, and fourth frets, while D#m7 climbs in a more even staircase from the first fret to the sixth.
- What style of music uses this chord?
- Big-band and brass-transcribed material, almost always under its Eb7 spelling, where dominant seventh chords built on flat-key roots are common building blocks.
- Does D#7 share notes with plain D# major?
- Three of its four — the flatted seventh is the only addition, meaning D#7 can substitute for the plain triad briefly to add tension without losing the chord's core identity.
- Is there a lower-position alternative to the sixth-fret E-string note?
- Not one that preserves all four correct chord tones — none of D#7's other pitches happen to sit within easy reach lower on that string, so the wide spread is close to unavoidable for a clean four-note voicing.
- How does D#7's fret pattern compare to G7's compact open shape elsewhere on this site?
- Quite differently — G7 keeps one string open and clusters its other three within the first two frets, while D#7 needs every string fretted across a genuinely wider span, a reminder that dominant sevenths don't sit equally easily under every root.
- Is D#7 ever simplified for a quick chord change in casual playing?
- Yes — some players drop the E string's sixth-fret note and accept a slightly incomplete three-note voicing when the full stretch would slow down a fast-moving progression, trading harmonic completeness for a cleaner transition.
- What's a good ear-training exercise for this chord?
- Loop D#7 into G# slowly, several times in a row, paying attention to how the flatted seventh on the E string's sixth fret pulls downward into the following chord's third — that specific pull is easier to internalize by ear than by counting frets.
D#7 on other instruments: D#7 on Guitar, D#7 on Piano. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.