Root position
D# – F# – A#The root D# is the lowest note. This is the shape most people learn first.
3 notes · 1 · ♭3 · 5
D# Minor Piano Chord (D#m)
D# minor is built from D#, F# and A# — the formula 1 · ♭3 · 5, or 3 and 7 semitones above D#. The shape uses 0 white and 3 black keys, and you can hear it, invert it and compare it below.
Chord
D# Minor
Notes
D# · F# · A#Formula
1 · ♭3 · 5Right hand
1 · 3 · 5C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
C#
D#
F#
G#
A#
Choose a chord, then play it. Finger numbers run from thumb (1) to little finger (5).
The finder above already holds D#m. Press P or the Play chord button to hear D#, F#, A# sounded together, then change the root or the chord type to compare it with something else.
Chord tones
The notes in D# minor
A minor triad reverses the major arrangement: a minor third first, then a major third. Only the middle note moves, yet the chord sounds noticeably darker and more inward. Minor triads sit on the second, third and sixth degrees of a major scale, and on the first degree of a minor key.
| Note | Interval | Degree | Semitones | Right hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D#black key | Root | 1 | 0 | 1 · thumb |
| F#black key | Minor third | ♭3 | 3 | 3 · middle finger |
| A#black key | Perfect fifth | 5 | 7 | 5 · little finger |
Step by step
How to play D# minor on piano
- Find D#: it is the second black key in a group of two.
- Build upwards from D# using 3 and 7 semitones to reach F# and A#.
- With the right hand, place finger 1 on D#, finger 3 on F# and finger 5 on A#. Keep the wrist level and the knuckles rounded.
- Move your hand a little further in towards the fallboard so the black keys sit comfortably under your fingers.
- Play the notes together, then one at a time from the bottom up, and listen to how D# minor settles.
- Try first inversion as well: F# – A# – D#. Inversions let you change chords without jumping around the keyboard.
Inversions
D# minor in 3 positions
An inversion keeps the same 3 notes and simply moves the lowest one up an octave. Learning them means you can change chords with small hand movements instead of jumping to a new part of the keyboard.
First inversion
F# – A# – D#F# is the lowest note, so the minor third sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.
Second inversion
A# – D# – F#A# is the lowest note, so the perfect fifth sits in the bass and the notes below it move up an octave.
In context
Which keys contain D# minor
In D♭ major the chord functions as ii. Altogether it is produced by the scales of 6 keys, so learning it once pays off in several places.
- D♭ majorii
- F♯ majorvi
- B majoriii
- E♭ minori
- G♯ minorv
- B♭ minoriv
Chord tones are spelled by the degree they occupy, so the third of a minor chord is written as a flat rather than a sharp even though it is the same key on the piano. A double sharp such as F## means the key one whole tone above F.
Compare
D# minor against D# major
D# minor and D# major share D# and A#. Moving the major third F## down 1 semitone to the minor third F# turns D# major into D# minor.
Practise the pair together: hold the shared notes D#, A# still and move only the one finger. Hearing that single change is the quickest way to recognise the two chords by ear.
Open D# major →Good questions
D# minor questions
What notes are in the D# minor chord?
D# minor contains D#, F# and A#. Counted from the root, that is the formula 1 · ♭3 · 5, or 3 and 7 semitones above D#.
What is the right-hand fingering for D# minor?
A comfortable beginner fingering is 1 (thumb) on D#, 3 (middle finger) on F# and 5 (little finger) on A#. Finger numbers run from the thumb (1) to the little finger (5), and they change once you start using inversions.
How is D# minor different from D# major?
D# minor and D# major share D# and A#. Moving the major third F## down 1 semitone to the minor third F# turns D# major into D# minor.
Which keys use the D# minor chord?
It occurs naturally in D♭ major (ii), F♯ major (vi), B major (iii), E♭ minor (i), G♯ minor (v) and B♭ minor (iv). The roman numeral shows which degree of the key the chord is built on.
What are the inversions of D# minor?
root position is D# – F# – A#, first inversion is F# – A# – D# and second inversion is A# – D# – F#. Every inversion holds the same notes; only the lowest one changes.
Is D# minor the same as the E♭ chord?
On an equal-tempered piano D# and E♭ are the same key, so the chords sound identical. Written music chooses between them according to the key signature: pages here are named after the sharp spelling of the root, and the chord tones are then spelled by the degree each one occupies, which is why a double sharp occasionally appears.