D# Chord on Ukulele
D# = D# – G – A# (Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th)
D sharp major benefits from a genuine stroke of luck: the open G string's own pitch happens to be precisely the note this chord's third calls for, so that string never needs a finger anywhere near it. Everything else comes from a small barre across the C and E strings at the third fret, which covers the root twice, plus a single low finger on the A string's first fret for the fifth. It's a surprisingly compact shape for a root with no chord tone of its own sitting on any open string — the third's lucky coincidence is doing most of the real work.
Respelled as Eb major, this chord is far more familiar under that name: Eb is a common key in brass and reed writing, and ukulele arrangements transposed down from horn charts meet this exact shape constantly. On its own terms as D# major, it functions as the V chord in the key of G# (seven sharps, essentially never used directly on ukulele) but shows up far more often as Eb, where it can be the I chord of its own key or the IV chord in the key of Bb. Despite having no open-string root or fifth of its own, the chord keeps a genuinely bright, un-muted quality thanks to that one open G string ringing through it.
Fingerings
Open Position
How to Practice It
Set the barre across the C and E strings at the third fret first, then add the A string's first fret separately — the low reach there is easy to rush past since it's such a small movement, but it needs the same deliberate placement as the barre. Since the open G string does all the third-scale-degree work here for free, the real coordination challenge is just the barre-plus-single-finger combination, not any wide stretch. Comparing this chord against C major's own one-finger, three-open-string ease is a useful reminder of just how differently the same GCEA tuning treats different roots.
Common Progressions
- Respelled Eb - Bb, functioning as I - V in the key of Eb
- Eb serving as IV in the key of Bb (Eb - Bb)
- V - I in the rarely-used key of G# (D# - G#)
- Eb - Ab - Bb - Eb, a I - IV - V - I loop in flat notation.
FAQ
- Why does the open G string work for D# major's third?
- G natural happens to sit exactly four semitones above D#, which is the precise interval a major third occupies, so the open string supplies that note without any fretting needed.
- Is D# major the same as Eb major?
- Yes, enharmonically identical — Eb is by far the more common spelling, since it's a familiar key in brass and reed writing that ukulele arrangements are often transposed from.
- What's D# major's role as Eb in the key of Bb?
- It's the IV chord, a common harmonic function in a key that ukulele arrangers meet more often through transposed material than through original ukulele writing.
- How does this shape compare to C major's one-finger ease?
- It's considerably busier — where C major needs one finger and three open strings, D# major needs a barre, an individual finger, and only one genuinely open string, despite the roots sitting only a couple of semitones apart.
- Is there a lower-position alternative for D# major?
- Not one that keeps the open G string's free third — any alternative voicing that avoids the barre would need to fret that string too, losing the convenience this shape relies on.
- Does D# major appear often under its sharp name?
- Rarely — it's almost always encountered as Eb in real ukulele charts, since flat spellings are the practical convention for this particular pitch.
- Does this chord share any fretting with D major just a half-step away?
- Not directly — D major's own barre sits at the second fret across the top three strings with the A string left open, while D# major's barre sits a fret higher on a different pair of strings, so the two shapes don't overlap in any useful way.
- What's the practical benefit of the open G string's coincidence here?
- It cuts the number of independently-fretted notes from three down to two, which matters most when switching quickly into or out of this chord mid-progression rather than holding it in isolation.
D# on other instruments: D# on Guitar, D# on Piano. Related: how chords are built, chord finder.