Chords in the Key of D# Minor
Every diatonic triad and seventh chord in D# minor, with the progressions built from them. Free. No sign-up.
Key facts
Diatonic triads
Seventh chords
Stack one more scale tone on each triad and you get the seventh chords — same key, more color.
| Degree | Chord | Quality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | D#m7 | minor 7th | D# · F# · A# · C# |
| iiø7 | E#m7b5 | half-diminished | E# · G# · B · D# |
| IIImaj7 | F#maj7 | major 7th | F# · A# · C# · E# |
| iv7 | G#m7 | minor 7th | G# · B · D# · F# |
| v7 | A#m7 | minor 7th | A# · C# · E# · G# |
| VImaj7 | Bmaj7 | major 7th | B · D# · F# · A# |
| VII7 | C#7 | dominant 7th | C# · E# · G# · B |
Common progressions in D# minor
i–VI–III–VII
D#m – B – F# – C#
The minor pop loop — same four chords as the major axis, started from the minor side.
i–iv–v
D#m – G#m – A#m
The minor blues shape — all three chords stay minor in the natural scale.
i–VII–VI
D#m – C# – B
The descending rock lament, one whole step at a time.
i–iv–VII–III
D#m – G#m – C# – F#
A circle-of-fifths descent — each root falls a fifth to the next.
How the key of D# minor works
D# Minor carries six sharps (F#, C#, G#, D#, A# and E#). The scale runs D#–E#–F#–G#–A#–B–C#, and stacking every other note of that scale builds the seven chords above — every chord tone comes from those same seven notes. The E# is not a typo: each letter appears exactly once per scale, so the note you might casually call F is spelled E# here.
F# Major is the relative major: identical key signature, identical seven chords. Treat F# — the III chord here — as home base and you are in F# major without changing a note.
The parallel major, Eb Major (listed here in its enharmonic spelling), keeps the same root but raises the third, sixth, and seventh — its signature shifts to three flats (Bb, Eb and Ab). Moving a section from minor to parallel major is one of the oldest brightness tricks in songwriting.
Playing D# minor on guitar
None of the chords in D# minor is a standard open chord: D#m, F#, G#m, A#m, B and C# all need barre shapes, which is why most guitarists reach for a capo in this key. The diminished E#dim is usually played as a small three-string shape rather than a full chord.
A capo is the shortcut. With one, the i–VI–III–VII progression (D#m – B – F# – C#) sounds in D# minor while you finger open shapes:
Capo 4 · play it as B minor
Bm – G – D – A
3 of 4 shapes are open chords.
Capo 6 · play it as A minor
Am – F – C – G
3 of 4 shapes are open chords.
Capo 9 · play it as F# minor
F#m – D – A – E
3 of 4 shapes are open chords.
Where D# minor sits on the neck
The root, D#, is fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string, the two places most minor barre shapes and scale positions in D# minor are built from.
Only the open B string is in the key. Watch the open low E (fret 1 gives E#), the open A (fret 1 gives A#), the open D (fret 1 gives D#), the open G (fret 1 gives G#) and the open high E (fret 1 gives E#).
One note separates D# minor from each neighbour on the circle of fifths. Raise B to B# and you are in Bb minor (usually written with the enharmonic spelling); lower E# to E and you are in G# minor. Those are the two keys a song in D# minor most often modulates to.
Keep practicing
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